Cartographic activities at ORSTOM: National atlas of Cameroon

This article reviews the central role of the French Institute of Research for Development (ORSTOM) in the production of the National Atlas of Cameroon. Initiated in 1956, this atlas was a pioneering achievement among ORSTOM's African national atlas projects. The paper details the atlas's design principles, including a multi-scale mapping strategy based on 1/2,000,000, a loose-leaf format for easy updates, and a phased thematic publication plan. It covers the early publication of physical environment maps (climate, geology, soils), subsequent geophysical and medical geography maps, and forthcoming human and economic thematic maps. The article particularly highlights innovative methods in human maps for depicting population distribution, ethnic groups, and density, reflecting ORSTOM's integrated approach to combining natural and human elements in cartography.