A Suggestion to Include a Few More Maps in the National Atlas of India

Summary

This paper proposes a set of thematic maps and illustrations to enhance the 1957 preliminary edition of the National Atlas of India, which contained 79 maps and 21 inset sketches. Recognizing that a national atlas should present a comprehensive perspective of a country’s physical and cultural geography, the author identifies gaps in the existing atlas and suggests supplementary cartographic content. Key suggestions include a retro‑azimuthal projection map centered on India to clarify its global locational context, given that azimuths and retro‑azimuths lack a simple mutual relationship except along shared meridians or the equator. For agriculture, a series of four sunshine maps—mean January and July sunshine hours, total annual sunshine hours, and generalized isolines of solar radiation—is recommended to highlight the importance of sunlight for plant growth, alongside a map of irrigation potential in unirrigated or under‑irrigated areas based on water‑balance studies. Economic mapping proposals cover the distribution of commercial timber and other forest products, commercially cultivated fruits and spices, and poultry farms with comparative flock sizes. To reflect social dimensions, the paper calls for maps showing the percentage of students with access to educational facilities, locations of radio broadcasting stations and their frequencies, district‑wise standard of living measured by per capita annual expenditure, and surplus/deficit food grain regions. Additional illustrations include line graphs of solar altitude at five Indian cities, a graph of the annual variation of the Equation of Time, a comparative elevation sketch of principal mountain peaks with a reference line indicating that no peak outside India rises above it, and a diagram comparing the lengths of major rivers. The proposed additions aim to enrich the atlas’s portrayal of India’s locational, environmental, economic, and social characteristics, thereby better serving geographers, cartographers, and the general citizenry.