Besprechung: Atlas de la República Argentina

Summary

This review assesses the second edition of the Atlas de la República Argentina (Físico, Político y Estadístico), published in 1954 by the Instituto Geográfico Militar in Buenos Aires. The atlas comprises 38 map sheets; the first ten cover astronomical topics, global geography, and American states, with emphasis on Argentina's physical geography and political divisions. The national physical map employs hypsometric tinting, but the choice of pale carmine for elevations between 1000–3000 m reduces topographic plasticity, and no hachures, contours, or shading supplement the relief. Ocean depths are shown with four tiers and isobaths, yet the greatest recorded depth in the Atacama Trench (−7640 m) is omitted, obscuring the Earth's maximum relief energy. Regional maps uniformly use the Gauss conformal cylindrical projection at 1:1,500,000, with terrain rendering influenced by the Swiss school, though less precise. Each province includes a capital city plan; Tierra del Fuego adds the Malvinas/Falkland Islands. Transport features emphasize railways (with gauges), roads, and air routes, but road usability is not indicated. The atlas concludes with six profiles (26°–47°S), area and population data (censuses 1947/1953), a place-name index, customs offices, and a map of topographic survey progress. Despite minor technical flaws, the atlas represents a commendable cartographic achievement for Argentina.