South Africa南非

S. P. Jackson

This is a review of the Atlas of the Union of South Africa, compiled in response to the lack of a systematic survey of the country's natural resources and dependent economic activities. Based on official statistical records from 1910 to 1950, it contains over 700 maps and diagrams covering physical background, population, transport, agriculture, and trade. The reviewer praises the clarity and quality of the maps, notes the constraints inherent in such compilation, and concludes that the atlas remains a valuable source of fundamental data on South Africa's resources and economic development.

This article reports on two notable South African publications and events. The Pretoria Show, held August 26-September 5, displayed South African manufactures with new attractions including the Hall of Elegance, Control Board exhibits, and a Hall of Science. Show Chairman D. Meter emphasized that the event serves as the Union's national shop window, advocating full exploitation of local markets amid global trade shifts. Additionally, the fully bilingual Atlas of the Union of South Africa, compiled by A. M. Talbot and W. J. Talbot of the University of Cape Town, presents a comprehensive graphic survey of the country’s physical features, climate, vegetation, soils, population, economy, and trade, serving as an invaluable resource for business, education, and planning.

Ena L. Yonge

This article is a comprehensive review of regional atlases, written by Ena L. Yonge. The author begins by noting that, given the ever-increasing flood of atlases from around the world, individual reviews of each publication are impossible; therefore, a summary survey is adopted. She also stresses that no single reviewer can be sufficiently expert in all aspects of geography, cartography, and linguistics to render sound critical judgments. The roughly one hundred regional atlases discussed are grouped primarily by continent or large region and then arranged alphabetically by country. In the European section, the author evaluates national and thematic atlases from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, and other countries, covering topics such as road transport, historical geography, climate, population, economy, and land use. She comments in detail on cartographic quality, scales, printing techniques, and practical utility. For example, the Austrian national atlas, directed by Hans Bobek and Erik Arnberger under the Commission for Land Planning of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, was published in five annual parts and demonstrates excellent cartography and printing. The Atlas de Belgique and the Atlas du Survey National supplement each other with plates on hydrogeology, phytogeography, agriculture, basic industries, waterways, and railways. The Climatic Atlas of Czechoslovakia is praised for its beautiful large-scale maps of temperature and precipitation. The article then turns to North America, focusing on state atlases in the United States, including Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia. These atlases cover agriculture, forestry, economic resources, historical geography, and population, often compiled by universities or state agencies for educational and planning purposes. In the South American section, the author highlights notable publications such as the Atlas do Brasil, the Atlas de economía colombiana, and Venezuelan climatic and forest atlases. Throughout the review, the author acknowledges the scholarly value and cartographic achievements of many works while also pointing out occasional problems such as overly large formats or inappropriate scales. Overall, the article provides a broad and informative reference guide to regional atlases for scholars in geography, cartography, and related fields.

T. J. D. Fair

This review assesses the Atlas of the Union of South Africa, compiled by A.M. and W.J. Talbot and published in 1960. The atlas was created to address the lack of systematic data on South Africa's resources and socio-economic structure after World War II. It contains 598 maps covering physical geography, climate, population, agriculture, industry, transportation, and trade, with detailed notes on sources and mapping methods. The review commends its meticulous compilation and value for geographical analysis, but criticizes the limited use of color and austere design caused by funding constraints. Overall, it remains a valuable mid-century reference despite certain cartographic weaknesses.

This paper presents the compilation of the Development Atlas of the Republic, an ongoing project led by the Department of Planning. The atlas is designed to supply enterprises and planners across diverse fields with spatial and statistical information on regional development potential. It is produced as a loose‑leaf collection of colour maps (22 by 19 inches) accompanied by descriptive text, tables and figures, and a hard binding cover is available. The format allows users to purchase only the sections of interest and supports future supplementation of data through replaceable or insertable leaves. Several thematic sections have already been completed to a high standard and are obtainable from the Government Printer. Given its modest pricing and flexible design, the atlas constitutes a valuable reference resource for progressive organisations. The paper concludes that this comprehensive, updatable information tool can meaningfully support decision‑making in development planning, investment location analysis and infrastructure policy.

The Department of Planning and the Environment of South Africa released Section 5.2 (Forestry) of the Development Atlas of the Republic, compiled since 1966 to document the country's natural resources. This section comprises two colour maps showing humidity zones and the distribution of plantations by wood species, accompanied by two pages of explanatory text. The completed sections are available from the Government Printer in Pretoria. Additionally, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has selected Indonesia as the host of the Eighth World Forestry Congress, tentatively scheduled for early September 1978 in Jakarta. With about 122 million hectares of forest, Indonesia is the world's major exporter of hardwood logs.