Unknown · 1960
With the recent publication of the fully bilingual *Atlas of the Union of South Africa*, South Africa has joined the ranks of countries with national atlases. This atlas graphically presents, through the universal language of maps and diagrams, the country's physical features, climate, natural vegetation, soils, and natural resources, along with summaries of population distribution and structure, economic development, and external trade. Compiled by A. M. Talbot and W. J. Talbot of the Department of Geography, University of Cape Town, in collaboration with the Trigonometrical Survey Office and under the auspices of the National Council for Social Research, it serves as an invaluable reference for businesspeople, educators, regional planners, and informed citizens seeking to understand the nation's past, present challenges, and future prospects.
S. P. Jackson · 1960
S. P. Jackson reviews the Atlas of the Union of South Africa, compiled by A. M. and W. J. Talbot and published by the Government Printer in Pretoria in 1960. In 1942 the Social and Economic Planning Council identified the need for a systematic survey of natural resources and related economic activities; the University of Cape Town’s Geography Department was invited to undertake it in 1947, and the atlas was the outcome. Its seven sections cover the physical environment, population, agriculture, industry, transport and external trade, with over 700 black-and-white maps and diagrams based on official statistical records published between 1910 and 1950. Jackson praises the coloured physical maps and the mineral-resources map’s clarity. Economic and population maps use dots or symbols on sparse outline maps, supplemented by detachable transparent reference overlays that he finds effective. He stresses the compilation’s labour and judgment, alongside constraints imposed by budgets, production capabilities and mapping methods. Despite these constraints, he judges the atlas a strong account of resource exploitation and economic growth, and a valuable source of fundamental data for readers interested in South Africa beyond geography specialists.
Ena L. Yonge · 1962
A. M. Talbot and W. J. Talbot’s Atlas of the Union of South Africa is described as a comprehensive survey of the country’s natural resources, population, and economy, based mainly on official records from 1910–1950 and on research the authors directed in the University of Cape Town Department of Geography from 1947. The reviewer notes colored maps for relief, geology, vegetation, and soil types, with the remaining maps and graphs in clear black-and-white, and lists seven divisions covering physical geography and biogeography, climate and water resources, population, agriculture, industries and occupations, transportation, and external trade. Titles, legends, and text are in English and Afrikaans; the reviewer calls the material extremely useful for understanding South Africa’s present and future development.
