The Atlas of Algeria and Tunisia

Summary

This review presents a critical overview and progress report on the _Atlas of Algeria and Tunisia_, a large-scale cartographic project initiated in 1910 by the governments of Algeria and Tunisia. The atlas aims to synthesize physical, demographic, and economic knowledge of the two territories into a coherent cartographic whole. The authors, Augustin Bernard and R. de Flotte de Roquevaire, are recognized for their expertise and for overcoming significant challenges, such as the selection and updating of source materials, the choice of a common base map at 1:1,500,000 scale, and the achievement of high-quality lithographic production in Algiers. The planned seven sections encompass geology, hypsometry, climatology, phytogeography, demography, administrative geography, and economic geography, comprising 19 large map sheets with numerous insets and accompanying explanatory booklets. By 1929, eight fascicles had been published, covering the first four sections and part of the fifth. The review details the content of each fascicle, highlighting advances in geological mapping, a clear hypsometric representation, innovative climatic maps (including temperature, rainfall distribution, aridity indices), and an original phytogeographic map dividing the region into botanical domains. The rural dwellings map is noted as a fundamental demographic document. The work is praised for its rich documentation, cartographic clarity, and practical utility, marking it as one of the most significant colonial atlas projects of its time, valuable for scholars, administrators, and the general public.