Turkey土耳其

Ali Tanoglu

This article presents the Atlas of Turkey, whose publication was initiated last year by the Institute of Geography at Istanbul University. Compiled by Professor Ali Tanoğlu in collaboration with Professor Dr. Sırrı Erinç and Associate Professor Dr. Erol Tümertekin, the atlas comprises 60 map pages in a 32×42 cm format. Its main objective is to represent various aspects of Turkey's physical environment, population, and economy, thereby serving as a fundamental reference for regional studies.

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.

H. Paschinger

This review discusses the first Turkish national atlas, prepared by A. Tanoğlu, S. Erinç, and E. Tümertekin and published by the Faculty of Letters, University of Istanbul in 1961. It contains 82 maps and 13 diagrams, with legends in Turkish and English, at scales from 1:800,000 to 1:6,000,000. The atlas covers topography, geology, tectonics, climate, vegetation, marine conditions, population, land use, agriculture, mineral resources and industry, foreign trade, transport, and administrative divisions. The reviewer notes that data are somewhat outdated, mostly from 1950 or 1952, and that thematic coverage is uneven, lacking geomorphological and detailed vegetation maps. Nevertheless, it is regarded as a promising start for Turkish cartography.

W. Hütteroth

This article reviews the Atlas of Turkey, published in 1961 by the Geographical Institute of the University of Istanbul as the country's first national atlas. It contains 87 coloured maps at scales from 1:6,000,000 to 1:800,000, assembling widely scattered material on Turkey's regional geography. The maps of climate, population distribution, and land use are singled out as especially valuable, whereas shortcomings include outdated statistical data (mostly ending in 1952–53), over-concise vegetation maps, overly coarse province-based mapping units, and occasionally ambiguous legends. Although not yet comparable in every respect with major national atlases, the atlas represents a considerable scholarly achievement and a valuable reference tool for anyone studying regional problems of Turkey.

Özer Soysal

This paper evaluates the *Atlas of Turkey*, co-edited by Ali Tanoğlu and others, using criteria for reference works. The atlas contains 77 maps and 18 diagrams, covering physical and human geography; however, due to technical difficulties, its completion and publication were delayed until 1961. The article points out deficiencies such as the lack of an index, some maps without dates and scales, an excessively large scale for climate maps, and occasional errors in administrative divisions, while also affirming that it is a significant contribution to Turkish geographical literature and remains a valuable reference until a more comprehensive atlas is produced.