Présentation de l'Atlas national de Belgique

Summary

This article introduces the National Atlas of Belgium, a systematic presentation of the country's scientific geography initiated by the National Geography Committee under the Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium. Unlike ordinary atlases, it analytically covers physical, human, and economic geographical phenomena. First proposed in 1932 and interrupted by World War II, the project resumed through a dedicated commission and will comprise 52 plates at 1:500,000 scale, covering geology, soils, climatology, hydrography, coastal areas, biogeography, human and economic geography, regional geography, and administration. Each plate includes brief explanatory notes on its reverse. Despite declining state funding, 18 sheets are now available and 9 more are forthcoming, with supplementary commentaries by map authors already in preparation.