Taiwan

A. O. Lee

This article reviews the development of the Fu-Min Geographical Institute of Economic Development in Taipei since its establishment in 1948. Initially affiliated with National Taiwan University as the Fu-Min Institute of Agricultural Geography, it became independent in 1951 and adopted its current name. The institute comprises five sections: Economic Geography, Regional Planning, Demographic Studies, Applied Climatology, and Cartography. Its research focus evolved through three phases: early agricultural geography, a middle period on population studies, and recent emphasis on urban social surveys and city planning. Having published nearly one hundred research reports, the institute's notable works include Dr. Cheng-siang Chen's "A Geography of Taiwan" and "The Atlas of Taiwan." Additionally, the institute has undertaken research commissions for international organizations and contributed to the formulation of Taipei's modern city plan.

This paper reviews the 1959 research report 'Geographical Atlas of Taiwan,' which comprises about 200 maps covering administrative divisions, physical topography (rainfall, erosion, main soil groups), demographics, social and economic aspects (education, health, etc.), land utilization, land settlement, cultivated land distribution, crop distribution, yield and processing, and animal husbandry (composition and distribution).

Ena L. Yonge

This article provides a systematic summary review of approximately one hundred regional atlases from around the world, organized primarily by continent (or other large region) and then alphabetically by country within each group. The author begins by noting that the ever-increasing flood of atlases—national, regional, topical, and special—makes individual reviews impossible, thus necessitating summary evaluations to acknowledge important publications while respecting space constraints. The review covers representative works from Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, North America, and South America, encompassing road atlases, historical-geographical atlases, national atlases, climatic atlases, economic atlases, and school atlases. Each atlas is assessed in terms of its compiling institution, editors, scales, number of plates, content structure, cartographic techniques, printing quality, and scholarly value, with notable features and shortcomings highlighted. For instance, the European section evaluates works such as the Euroatlas, Atlas östliches Mitteleuropa, Atlas von Niederösterreich, Atlas de Belgique, Climatic Atlas of Czechoslovakia, Atlas of Denmark, and Atlas of Finland, while the American section covers state atlases from Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia, as well as national atlases from Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. The article emphasizes that these atlases not only reflect the research standards of geography and cartography in their respective countries but also serve as vital references for regional planning, economic development, historical research, and education. The author concludes by acknowledging that no single individual can possess sufficient expertise across all aspects of geography, cartography, and linguistics to render definitive critical judgments, yet such summaries offer valuable guidance to scholars, with a forthcoming review of world atlases and special atlases announced.