National Atlas of India
भारत राष्ट्रीय एटलस
India · Unknown · 1957
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Cartography: Atlases
Unknown · 1964
This paper examines the unique cartographic and editorial challenges encountered in producing the first Hebrew edition of the Atlas of Israel (1964), a comprehensive work comprising 102 sheets and 720 large-scale maps. Although modeled on other national atlases, the Israeli atlas diverged significantly due to three primary factors: the country's rapid demographic and cultural transformations, its distinctive geographical position and elongated shape, and the uneven reliability of its documentary base. The most influential factor was the dramatic 600% population increase over two generations, which drove extreme changes in agriculture, economy, communication, and services. To capture this dynamism, the atlas employs time-sequence map series for most topics rather than single static representations, and includes supplementary maps to update content. Geographically, Israel's location on the arid zone boundary creates sharp north-south contrasts, with highly diverse physical, human, and economic elements in the north versus a monotonous south, compounded by varied topography over small altitude ranges. These spatial characteristics demanded specialized cartographic solutions. Finally, the area's political history under Ottoman, British, and Israeli administrations within 50 years resulted in data that differ greatly in coverage and reliability. The paper details how these interrelated problems shaped the atlas's content, design, and production.
An Outstanding National Atlas
Stamp, L. Dudley · 1959
This review examines the Preliminary Hindi Edition of the National Atlas of India (1957), edited by S. P. Chatterjee, a pioneering cartographic project initiated under India’s Second Five‑Year Plan to provide an essential resource inventory for national planning. Produced in just twelve months under severe constraints of trained personnel, the atlas leveraged the printing facilities of the Survey of India. Its 26 large‑format color sheets (30 × 26 inches) are drawn at a uniform scale of 1:5,000,000 and anticipate the national conversion to the metric system by adopting metres, kilometres, hectares and metric tons. While all maps are in Hindi to promote the national language, English translations of map keys and an English‑labelled outline map are provided to ensure international usability. Thematic coverage spans administrative divisions (over 3,000 units), physical relief with flood‑prone areas, climate based on 3,000 station records, geology, forests, cash crops linked to associated industries, livestock related to population density and arable land, transport networks with passenger‑flow and accessibility data, and social features such as literacy and higher‑education sites. The plates often integrate related phenomena innovatively, demonstrating advanced cartographic techniques. Although designated preliminary, the atlas constitutes a clear national overview that complements ongoing detailed land‑use surveys. A larger atlas of over 300 plates is already in preparation. This work stands as a milestone in thematic mapping, successfully blending national aspirations with scientific rigour and practical international utility.
A Suggestion to Include a Few More Maps in the National Atlas of India
Prasad, Narvedeshwar · 1972
This paper proposes a set of thematic maps and illustrations to enhance the 1957 preliminary edition of the National Atlas of India, which contained 79 maps and 21 inset sketches. Recognizing that a national atlas should present a comprehensive perspective of a country’s physical and cultural geography, the author identifies gaps in the existing atlas and suggests supplementary cartographic content. Key suggestions include a retro‑azimuthal projection map centered on India to clarify its global locational context, given that azimuths and retro‑azimuths lack a simple mutual relationship except along shared meridians or the equator. For agriculture, a series of four sunshine maps—mean January and July sunshine hours, total annual sunshine hours, and generalized isolines of solar radiation—is recommended to highlight the importance of sunlight for plant growth, alongside a map of irrigation potential in unirrigated or under‑irrigated areas based on water‑balance studies. Economic mapping proposals cover the distribution of commercial timber and other forest products, commercially cultivated fruits and spices, and poultry farms with comparative flock sizes. To reflect social dimensions, the paper calls for maps showing the percentage of students with access to educational facilities, locations of radio broadcasting stations and their frequencies, district‑wise standard of living measured by per capita annual expenditure, and surplus/deficit food grain regions. Additional illustrations include line graphs of solar altitude at five Indian cities, a graph of the annual variation of the Equation of Time, a comparative elevation sketch of principal mountain peaks with a reference line indicating that no peak outside India rises above it, and a diagram comparing the lengths of major rivers. The proposed additions aim to enrich the atlas’s portrayal of India’s locational, environmental, economic, and social characteristics, thereby better serving geographers, cartographers, and the general citizenry.
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