Compte-rendu: Atlas de Belgique, planches 23-25-26 et 29

Summary

This article reviews four newly published plates (Nos. 23, 25, 26, and 29; 1959-1962) of the National Atlas of Belgium, prepared and annotated by Professor Tulippe of the University of Liège. Plate 23 presents population density by municipality for 1846, 1880, 1900, and 1930 across four maps, revealing the evolution of Belgian population distribution since the 19th century—notably the concentration along the Haine-Sambre-Meuse industrial axis, the disintegration of the formerly compact high-density zone in interior Flanders, and the strengthening of densities in the Ghent-Antwerp-Brussels triangle, described as the "true demographic center of gravity of Belgium." Plates 25 and 26 map birth rates (1880, 1910, 1930, 1947), death rates (1880, 1947), and foreign population (1910, 1947) by municipality, with substantial commentary illuminating the complexity of Belgian demographic phenomena and nuancing the simplistic view of an expanding Flanders versus a declining Wallonia. Plate 29 depicts forest distribution in 1951 with an inset showing forest area at the end of the 18th century based on the Ferraris map, offering an excellent human and economic geography perspective on Belgian forests. The nearly complete National Atlas of Belgium deserves high praise and serves as a model achievement by Belgian geographers.