Madagascar

This article presents the second installment of the Atlas of Madagascar, published in 1971, and assesses its production, contents, and scholarly significance. Conceived as Madagascar’s first national atlas, the project was completed through voluntary cooperation among nearly forty French and Malagasy teachers and researchers, with support from academic and research institutions and, after initial subsidies were exhausted, revenue from 1,500 subscriptions. Although publication was delayed, the additional time and funding enabled the editorial team to improve cartographic clarity, add colors and supplementary maps, update statistical information, and expand explanatory notes. The second installment covers twenty major themes through thirty-four plates, generally at a scale of 1:4,000,000. Its subjects include climate, hydrology, exploration history, archaeological sites, ethnic groups, population distribution, urban systems, migration, agriculture, forestry, energy, transport, telecommunications, education, tourism, religion, regional divisions, and development projects. Compared with the 1969 installment, it places greater emphasis on human and economic geography because these fields required new documentation and extensive fieldwork, whereas physical geography could draw on an established research base. The resulting maps therefore incorporate relatively recent data and provide practical resources for administration, planning, education, commerce, and research. The author acknowledges that the atlas remains incomplete and cannot match the production standards of major industrialized countries; topics such as fauna, housing forms, dialects, and endemic diseases were omitted. Nevertheless, its removable binding permits outdated plates to be revised, making the atlas an evolving body of knowledge rather than a static publication. Overall, the completed atlas constitutes a coherent national reference work, supports the adaptation of geography teaching to Malagasy realities, encourages future regional atlases and an expanded second edition, and exemplifies international scholarly cooperation and the university’s integration into national development.

This article presents the origins, organization, and scholarly significance of the national Atlas of Madagascar. Initiated in 1964 by the geography laboratory of the University of Tananarive and supported by French research institutions, the project involved approximately forty academics, engineers, and cartographic specialists. The completed atlas was designed to contain sixty maps covering physical and human geography, rural areas, industrial resources and activities, transportation, public facilities, and regional synthesis. Each plate is supplemented by commentary, statistical tables, graphics, and standardized notes explaining sources and mapping methods. A largely uniform scale, loose-leaf format, and transparent reference map facilitate comparison, superimposition, and geographic identification. Combining scientific rigor with practical design, the atlas constitutes both an accessible working tool and an essential source of information on a then insufficiently studied country.

This review assesses the Atlas of Madagascar, published in two installments between 1969 and 1971 as a comprehensive replacement for the outdated 1933 colonial atlas. Produced by approximately forty university and multidisciplinary specialists, it contains 69 maps at a scale of 1:4,000,000, covering 60 themes in eight fields, with documented sources, explanatory notes, graphs, and statistics. Notable contributions include new archaeological-site mapping, evidence of severe water scarcity and limited rice cultivation in the far south, and detailed representations of population distribution. By synthesizing Madagascar’s physical, human, rural, industrial, infrastructural, and regional geography, the atlas reveals the island’s remarkable diversity. The reviewer considers it a monumental reference that will support research and education; a future edition is expected to add maps of fauna, dialects, and settlement types.

Atlas of Madagascar by the Association of Geographers of Madagascar, under the direction of R. Battistini, Fr. and P. Le Bourdiec. Prefaces by H.E. Ph. Tsiranana, President of the Republic, and Mr. L. Botokeky, Minister of Cultural Affairs. Tananarive, B.D.P.A. (Bureau for the Development of Agricultural Production) and the National Geographic Institute in Madagascar, 1969–1971. Large in-4°, unnumbered text pages, plates, maps, index. - Volume 42 Issue 3

Published in two installments in 1969 and 1971, the Atlas de Madagascar was the first national atlas of a Francophone tropical African country. It contains sixty color plates and detailed notes equivalent to about 300 pages. Funding came from the University of Madagascar, France’s CNRS, and ORSTOM, while a multidisciplinary team prepared the content. The reviewer praises its extensive, critically presented information but notes uneven cartographic quality and an emphasis on export crops that obscures food production, internal trade, and regional development disparities. The first edition of 1,500 copies sold out quickly. The reviewer recommends a low-cost school atlas, regional atlases, and the gradual transfer of future compilation work to Malagasy geographers.