André Libault · 1952
André Libault presents new plates for the French National Committee of Geography’s Atlas de France, explaining their relationship to the original atlas and the cartographic choices behind the revision. Begun in 1931, the atlas was nearing completion in 1939 when publication was disrupted; work continued during the occupation, and its 84 plates were available shortly after liberation. Copies soon became scarce despite a partial reprinting. The committee initially considered updating the human-geography plates, but consultation revealed changes in geographical understanding and mapping techniques. Libault also argues that maps expose the cumulative scale of changes in transport, agriculture and industry, requiring many plates to be redrawn. The geological plate adds lithological patterns to stratigraphic colours, with small-scale legibility restricting detail. The population-structure proof uses cumulative frequency curves to select class boundaries for departmental statistics. Settlement distribution draws on census data and detailed topographic maps: dots represent 200 or 2,000 inhabitants, departmental drafts were prepared at 1:400,000, and shaded spheres represent urban populations. The agricultural plate distinguishes arable crops by colour and shape, using annual agricultural surveys, symbols for 100 and 1,000 hectares, and Normafot production before final mapping at 1:1,250,000; forests, natural grasslands and perennial plantations are covered elsewhere in the atlas. Libault presents the energy plate as a first attempt at a national overview of energy resources. It locates sources, conversion facilities and fixed transmission networks with approximate magnitudes, leaving a statistical consumption map for future completion. He regards these examples as evidence of improved cartographic expression and a means of assessing France’s changes between editions.
