Two atlases of national scope in Belgium

O. Tulippe describes two Belgian national atlas projects, their compilation and their publication progress. He presents the Atlas de Belgique as a systematic scientific account of the country, useful for research, teaching, administration and public knowledge. The National Committee of Geography developed a preliminary plan in 1932, adopted an expanded plan in 1938 and established a permanent atlas commission in 1946 to define maps, recruit contributors and review their work. State funding in 1947 enabled the first plates to appear in 1948; subsequent funding cuts slowed publication, with about thirty plates issued at the time of writing. Its 52-plate plan spans eight sections, from Belgium’s European setting through physical, biological, human, economic and regional geography to administration. Maps generally use 1:500,000 or assemblies at smaller scales; natural-environment maps extend into neighbouring countries where possible. Reverse-side notices describe compilation techniques and sources. The Military Geographical Institute handles production. Tulippe also reports subscription arrangements, separate French and Dutch explanatory commentaries initiated by a 1956 decision, and proposed aerial-photograph plates. The Atlas du Survey National originated in a 1947 proposal to assemble evidence for territorial planning. A service established in 1949 collected existing maps and mapped statistical data, recording both current distributions and recent change. Its manuscript Atlas général contained about 400 cartographic documents by 1957. In 1954, V. Bure authorized publication of this collection as the Atlas du Survey National, using colour reproductions at 1:1,000,000. It avoids duplicating the Atlas de Belgique’s planned plates and supplies additional planning-oriented detail. Sixty plates had appeared by 1957, covering population, employment and labour movements, unemployment, tourism, landscape and monument protection, housing and urban facilities. Most use municipal boundaries, with some arrondissement-based maps and paired absolute and percentage representations. Series notices explain sources and refer readers to relevant Atlas de Belgique plates. Tulippe closes with access arrangements, an approved but not yet fully specified commentary project, and earlier Survey studies published in Cahiers d’Urbanisme.