The National Atlas of Brazil

This review evaluates the Atlas Nacional do Brasil, first published in 1966 by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, as both a national reference work and an indicator of contemporary Brazilian geographical scholarship. Using a critical survey of its approximately sixty loose-leaf map sheets and accompanying texts, the article assesses cartographic design, data quality, thematic coverage, and analytical value. The atlas encompasses political development, the physical environment, population, society, culture, economic activity, transport, trade, health, and tourism, with especially extensive treatment of agriculture. Its principal strengths are the abundance of social and economic data, generally high cartographic standards, innovative methods for representing demographic and economic change, and several unusual themes, including cattle trails, the continental shelf, corporate spatial linkages, and regional trade flows. Collectively, the maps reveal persistent spatial inequalities, particularly the concentration of income, industry, infrastructure, education, and health services in the South-east, contrasted with severe deficiencies in the North-east and incompletely documented interior. However, the atlas depends heavily on the 1960 census and occasionally on older information, making some maps outdated even at publication. Inconsistent classifications, unexplained methodologies, excessive information density, over-reduced inset maps, and weak coverage of manufacturing, major cities, and nationally significant industries further limit accessibility and interpretation. The reviewer concludes that the atlas offers a valuable and comprehensive portrait of Brazil in the mid-1960s and provides an important foundation for specialists and planners. Its loose-leaf format permits updating, but regional atlases and more detailed thematic maps are needed to capture subsequent economic transformation and clarify Brazil’s increasingly complex industrial and urban geography.