Bos atlas of the Netherlands

Trudo Dejonghe reviews the 2007 Bosatlas of the Netherlands, a 560-page atlas containing more than 2,400 maps, produced through over two years of editorial and cartographic work. He describes its rapid sell-out and public disputes over maps of landscape attractiveness, carnival villages and football. He criticizes its near-exclusive focus on the Netherlands outside the historical section, citing Barend Kobben’s observation that ignoring nearby Antwerp distorts the mapping of access to urban centres in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. Dejonghe nevertheless identifies uses for Belgian readers in maps of migration, drug offences, museums and UNESCO sites, alongside Karel Tomei’s landscape photographs. He praises the cartographers’ colour choices and selective detail for producing highly legible maps, and asks whether a comparable Belgian atlas could become a successful reference work.