Reviews: The national atlas of Japan. Rev. ed.

Summary

Sofus Christiansen reviews the 1990 revised edition of The National Atlas of Japan, compiled by the Geographical Survey Institute. Its approximately 500 maps cover physical, social, and economic conditions, with population and economic activities occupying most of the volume. He particularly praises the treatment of seismic phenomena and crustal movements. Reservations concern the dating of most maps to 1985 and agricultural maps showing monetary values without yields per hectare. Despite these limitations, Christiansen commends the atlas’s breadth, printing, and scholarly quality, judging it to set a new standard for national atlases.