Maps and Atlases: National Atlas of the Indian Republic

Summary

This paper describes the preparation and content of the National Atlas of India, overseen by the National Atlas Organization under the Ministry of Scientific Research and Culture. In March 1961, a special advisory board chaired by a deputy minister was formed to guide the Indian government on atlas-related matters, including the standardization of geographical name transcriptions. A coordination committee was also established to accelerate map production and printing. The organization operates from two main centers in Kolkata and Dehradun, employing 126 technicians and 38 administrative staff, supplemented by university students. A key challenge is the scarcity of adequate statistical data on industry, agriculture, and land use; to address this, district-level information centers were set up to collect authentic data. However, weak coordination with central institutions such as the Survey of India, Geological Survey, and Meteorological Survey remains problematic. The atlas features maps at scales ranging from 1:1,000,000 to 1:20,000,000, with page dimensions of 57 × 41 cm (double-page 75 × 56 cm). It is divided into three parts: Part I contains general and physical maps (administrative, geological, climatic, hydrological, pedological, and biogeographical maps); Part II includes economic and demographic maps (population, transport, agriculture, industry, and economic regions); Part III presents social and historical maps (education, culture, languages, health, age structure, political divisions, and historical boundaries). In total, the atlas comprises 300 sheets—117 economic/demographic, 109 physical, and 74 social/historical. Published in stages, the atlas will substantially enrich knowledge of India.