Atlas de Madagascar

Summary

This review assesses the Atlas of Madagascar, published in two installments between 1969 and 1971 as a comprehensive replacement for the outdated 1933 colonial atlas. Produced by approximately forty university and multidisciplinary specialists, it contains 69 maps at a scale of 1:4,000,000, covering 60 themes in eight fields, with documented sources, explanatory notes, graphs, and statistics. Notable contributions include new archaeological-site mapping, evidence of severe water scarcity and limited rice cultivation in the far south, and detailed representations of population distribution. By synthesizing Madagascar’s physical, human, rural, industrial, infrastructural, and regional geography, the atlas reveals the island’s remarkable diversity. The reviewer considers it a monumental reference that will support research and education; a future edition is expected to add maps of fauna, dialects, and settlement types.