An assessment: Atlas of Turkey

Summary

The article evaluates the 1961 Türkiye Atlası (Atlas of Turkey), compiled by Istanbul University geographers Ali Tanoğlu, Sırrı Erinç and Erol Tümertekin. Its original was completed in 1954, but technical and financial difficulties delayed publication until 1961. Its 77 maps and 18 diagrams cover Turkey's physical geography, population, economy, transport and administration, excluding historical maps. The compilation combines original work with material adapted or reproduced from Turkish and foreign sources; relief is shown through contours and graded colours. The reviewer finds the diagrams, generally legible lettering and bilingual Turkish-English explanations useful, while criticizing the lack of indexes, defective bibliographic entries, missing dates and scales, old data, and local administrative and place-name errors. With 41 maps devoted to climate, the reviewer questions whether other subjects receive adequate coverage and calls for more suitable scales and additions such as road traffic in future editions. Despite these deficiencies, the author regards the atlas as a major contribution to Turkish-language geographical reference literature.