Canada in six atlases

Summary

This paper reviews six recent Canadian atlases—the Atlas of Canada (1958) and provincial atlases covering British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta—and identifies patterns, trends, and principles emerging from their compilation. It argues that the atlases should be understood less as purely commercial reference works and more as products shaped by government policy and the differing aims assigned to them. The national atlas was designed as a broad overview of the physical basis and economic development of Canada, while provincial atlases reflect the regional concerns, resources, and educational responsibilities of individual provinces. Although the atlases appear superficially similar, they differ markedly in scale, projection, weight, and content, largely because each was independently organized and funded by government or university bodies. The article also stresses the pedagogical function of the volumes: since education in Canada is a provincial responsibility, the atlases were intended to support schools and public reference. Yet their geographic methodology places them beyond the existing school curricula and links them to the tradition of regional atlases. The analysis shows that the Ontario Economic Atlas comes closest to the ideal regional atlas, while Saskatchewan and Alberta retain more elements of the national atlas model. The article concludes that the recommendations of the IGU Commission on National Atlases, though not followed in every detail, had a clear and general influence on all six publications and that the idea of an atlas hierarchy is only partially realized. These findings underline the value of international guidance for national and regional atlas-making.