Atlas & book reviews: Atlas de la Republica de Chile, 2nd ed.

Dale Steele reviews the 1983 second edition of Atlas de la Republica de Chile, published by Chile's Instituto Geografico Militar. This full-color atlas covers Chile's physical geography, economic resources, and population in five sections: historical and geographical background; a 1:1,000,000 topographic map with maps of Antarctic claims and island possessions and claims; national thematic maps; regional thematic maps; and a gazetteer with reference materials. The regional section is the largest, treating all thirteen administrative regions with consistent topic order and color schemes. Steele criticizes confusing topographic labels, unexplained type sizes, poorly visible industrial symbols, and printing misregistration on a few pages. He nevertheless recommends acquisition, praising the information, colors, convenient size, sewn binding, and competitive $90 price. Most sources date from the mid-to-late 1970s, while population data come from the 1970 census. He also warns purchasers to specify shipping arrangements to avoid unwanted air-freight charges.