Cartografia: L'Atlante nazionale dell' India

Summary

This article reviews the preliminary edition (1957) of the National Atlas of India, compiled under the direction of Professor S. P. Chatterjee by the National Atlas Organisation. The atlas, in an exceptionally large format (approx. 73 × 65 cm), employs a uniform scale of 1:5 million with Lambert's conformal conic projection across 26 plates to present a comprehensive picture of India's natural, economic, and social characteristics. Twenty-one plates use the metric decimal system, covering administration, relief, hydrography, rainfall, geology, minerals, soils, forests, irrigation, agriculture, industry, transport, population, education, health, and archaeology. The review notes that while some maps rely on data of uneven reliability, the atlas merits attention methodologically, particularly for a state as extensive as India, and its concise commentary contains valuable statistical information.