Atlas of France
FRAtlas de France
France · Comité National de Géographie · 1945
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National atlases: a summary
Ena L. Yonge · 1957
This article provides a comprehensive review of national atlases published worldwide up to the time of writing. It notes that since the Geographical Review first coined the term 'Age of National Atlases' in 1940, the surge of nationalism after World War II has greatly accelerated the production and scope of such atlases. The author surveys 26 published national atlases and 3 in preparation. The article first emphasizes that a national atlas aims to portray all aspects of a country—physical, economic, and social—and highlights a welcome trend: the inclusion of map titles, legends, and text summaries in English or French for atlases published in less familiar languages. The review is then organized by region. For Europe, it details atlases from Austria (Atlas von Niederösterreich), Belgium (Atlas de Belgique), France (revised Atlas de France), and Germany (Deutscher Planungsatlas, specifically Atlas von Berlin), among others, discussing their institutional backing, content structure, scales, cartographic techniques, and unique features, such as Berlin's depiction of wartime damage and postwar development, and Belgium's detailed demographic and agricultural maps. Atlases from Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, and Norway are also mentioned. For Africa, the planned Atlas du Maroc is described. For Oceania, the Atlas of Australian Resources is reviewed, highlighting its origin in post-war resource assessment, its effective use of a large scale, and its focus on water resources and population distribution. For North America, the article reports on the progress of a Canadian national atlas and the initiation of the National Atlas of the United States, a collaborative federal effort to compile standardized thematic maps from various government agencies. The article concludes that these national atlases represent significant achievements in geographic and cartographic scholarship, serving as invaluable resources for students, planners, and businesses.
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The Atlas of France, proposed by Robert Perret to the French National Committee of Geography in 1922, did not begin regular publication until 1933, with an original plan of five years. To date, 60 plates have been issued, with about 20 remaining. The atlas adheres to a principle of originality, with each plate representing independent research; 49 scholars have contributed, at an average cost of 20,000 francs per plate. Notable features include full maps of France at scales of 1:1,000,000 or 1:1,250,000, covering topography, geology, climate, hydrology, economy, industry, transportation, and political-human geography. Innovative contributions include thermal profile maps, precipitation variability maps, river regime maps, oceanographic maps, forestry maps, mineral resource maps, fisheries maps, road traffic maps, tourism maps, and political opinion distribution maps. Although delayed by the laborious production of large maps, the atlas is expected to be completed before the next International Geographical Congress.
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Georges Chabot · 1959
This article reports on the presentation ceremony of the second edition of the Atlas of France, held on March 13 in the presence of the Minister of National Education, who admired the various plates and congratulated the contributors. The author traces the atlas's history from its first edition launched in 1931 and completed in 1946, noting its pioneering status worldwide and the subsequent need for renewal due to France's changing landscape and advances in cartographic techniques. The article highlights the intellectual leadership of Robert Perret, Emmanuel de Martonne, and Albert Demangeon in organizing contributions from geographers across French universities, as well as the technical expertise of the Société française de cartographie under André Libault. A significant portion is devoted to the financial challenges of the post-war period, emphasizing Jean Majorelle's crucial role in securing private funding from industrial, banking, and commercial sectors before the CNRS ultimately assumed responsibility. The author concludes that an atlas must be a continuously evolving creation, with plans already underway to replace outdated plates.
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