Panama

Richard W. Stephenson

This article reviews significant atlases published in the Western Hemisphere (including North America, South America, and Central America and the Caribbean) since Ena L. Yonge's summary survey in 1962. The survey is divided into two parts, with this part focusing on the Western Hemisphere, covering 147 volumes of general and thematic atlases of the entire hemisphere, continents, major regions, and individual countries, as well as atlases of individual states and provinces of the United States and Canada. Notable atlases mentioned include the 'Alpha Map Transparencies' series for teaching regional geography, Theodore R. Miller's 'Graphic History of the Americas,' David K. Adams and H. B. Rodgers' 'An Atlas of North American Affairs,' and the 'Oxford Regional Economic Atlas: United States & Canada.' The Canadian section details the fourth edition of 'The National Atlas of Canada,' the 'Atlas and Gazetteer of Canada,' historical atlases, and the 'Atlas of Alberta.' The South American section covers atlases from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Surinam, and Venezuela, such as the 'Atlas nacional do Brasil,' 'Atlas histórico geográfico y de paisajes peruanos,' and 'Atlas de Venezuela.' The article aims to describe the contents and features of these atlases rather than provide critical evaluations, and concludes by suggesting that the next decade may see an increase in the production of high-quality atlases by Western Hemisphere nations.

Erik A. Ellehoj

Robert B. Kent

This article reviews and evaluates six recently published national atlases from Latin America, including the Atlas de Colombia (4th edition), Atlas Nacional de México (3 volumes), Nuevo Atlas Nacional de Cuba, Atlas de Perú, Atlas Nacional de la República de Panamá, and Atlas de Bolivia. The article first defines the criteria for a 'national atlas': it must be produced under the auspices or with the approval of the national government, aim to provide broad thematic coverage of the nation, and be produced to high intellectual and cartographic standards for scholarly research. It then provides detailed assessments of each atlas, covering physical specifications, organizational structure, thematic content, cartographic quality, and strengths and weaknesses. The Atlas Nacional de México is particularly praised for its monumental scale, rich thematic coverage, and fine cartography, though it is noted for overly complex symbols and lack of an index. The Nuevo Atlas Nacional de Cuba is recognized as a continuation of Cuba's strong cartographic tradition, demonstrating extensive collaboration and high production quality. Other atlases show varying strengths in thematic breadth and presentation but commonly suffer from vague citations, lack of general bibliographies, or missing indexes. The article concludes that while the quality of these atlases ranges from outstanding to barely acceptable, all serve as valuable reference sources for Latin American studies, with environmental, cultural, and historical content retaining long-term utility, and recommends their acquisition by university libraries with relevant programs.

Vianca Cedeño; Aracelly Franco; Aracelis Ortega; Jaime Toral B.

The "Tommy Guardia" National Geographic Institute could finish and publish the country Geographic Atlas, after having waited for 20 long years. The development and characteristic of the different works were mainly performed at the Applied Geography Department. This reference book, for research and collection, shows not only through its text but also through its maps the great geographic changes we have gone through in the latest years. This book is for students, researchers and public in general to quickly manipulate their geographic reality, and so they can be stimulated to understand it, use it and take care of it in order to wake up nationalist values in a globalized world. El Instituto Geográfíco Nacional "Tommy Guardia" logra terminar y publicar el Atlas Geográfico del país, tras una larga espera de 20 años. El desarrollo y condición de los trabajos fueron hechos principalmente en el departamento de Geografía Aplicada. Este libro de referencia, de colección y de consulta, refleja tanto en su contenido textual como en sus mapas los grandes cambios geográficos que hemos experimentado en los últimos años y tiene como finalidad que los estudiantes, investigadores y el público en general, puedan manipular rápidamente su realidad geográfica y de esta manera ser estimulados a comprenderla, utilizarla y cuidarla para despertar sentimientos de valores nacionalistas en un entorno globalizado.