Cameroon喀麦隆
Curatorial Note
AI-curated draftCameroon's national atlas tradition, as represented in this collection, emerges from a single but significant publication dating to 1956, during the late colonial era when the territory was under French administration. The sole atlas, produced by the Institut de Recherches Scientifiques du Cameroun, reflects an early post-war effort to systematically document the geographical, economic, and social characteristics of the region through cartographic synthesis. This work was part of a broader wave of regional atlas-making across Africa and other colonial territories, as noted in Ena L. Yonge's contemporary survey, which highlighted the growing global output of such atlases. The atlas's editorial approach likely combined field surveys and existing administrative data, presented in French, to create a baseline reference for planners and researchers. While limited in number, this 1956 volume holds historical importance as a foundational cartographic record of Cameroon, predating the country's independence in 1960. Its legacy lies in establishing a template for later national mapping efforts, though no subsequent editions appear in this collection. For visitors, this atlas offers a snapshot of how colonial-era science sought to define and understand a territory that would soon become a sovereign nation, making it a valuable artifact for studying the intersection of cartography, colonialism, and national identity formation.
The Shelves
This is the first volume of the national atlas tradition in our collection.
Contemporary and Later Comment
- Article1962Regional atlases: a summary survey
Ena L. Yonge
This article is a comprehensive review of regional atlases, written by Ena L. Yonge. The author begins by noting that, given the ever-increasing flood of atlases from around the world, individual reviews of each publication are impossible; therefore, a summary survey is adopted. She also stresses that no single reviewer can be sufficiently expert in all aspects of geography, cartography, and linguistics to render sound critical judgments. The roughly one hundred regional atlases discussed are grouped primarily by continent or large region and then arranged alphabetically by country. In the European section, the author evaluates national and thematic atlases from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, and other countries, covering topics such as road transport, historical geography, climate, population, economy, and land use. She comments in detail on cartographic quality, scales, printing techniques, and practical utility. For example, the Austrian national atlas, directed by Hans Bobek and Erik Arnberger under the Commission for Land Planning of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, was published in five annual parts and demonstrates excellent cartography and printing. The Atlas de Belgique and the Atlas du Survey National supplement each other with plates on hydrogeology, phytogeography, agriculture, basic industries, waterways, and railways. The Climatic Atlas of Czechoslovakia is praised for its beautiful large-scale maps of temperature and precipitation. The article then turns to North America, focusing on state atlases in the United States, including Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia. These atlases cover agriculture, forestry, economic resources, historical geography, and population, often compiled by universities or state agencies for educational and planning purposes. In the South American section, the author highlights notable publications such as the Atlas do Brasil, the Atlas de economía colombiana, and Venezuelan climatic and forest atlases. Throughout the review, the author acknowledges the scholarly value and cartographic achievements of many works while also pointing out occasional problems such as overly large formats or inappropriate scales. Overall, the article provides a broad and informative reference guide to regional atlases for scholars in geography, cartography, and related fields.
From the Physical Collection
Photographs are being prepared for this hall.