L'Atlas de Madagascar : présentation de la seconde livraison

This article reviews the second installment of the Atlas of Madagascar, issued in 1971, and explains its production, contents, and future development. Prepared collaboratively by nearly forty French and Malagasy teachers and researchers, the installment was financed largely through subscriptions to the first issue and renewed institutional support. To improve clarity, detail, and currency, contributors redesigned several maps, added colors, produced urban plans and a synthetic regional map, and updated educational, demographic, and economic data. Although originally planned around twenty-nine themes, the installment contains thirty-four plates covering climate, hydrology, archaeological sites, ethnic groups, population distribution and migration, agriculture, forestry, transport, communications, education, religion, tourism, regional organization, and development projects. Human and economic geography receives particular emphasis because these fields required extensive new documentation and field surveys, whereas physical geography had benefited from a stronger body of earlier research. The author acknowledges limitations in production quality and thematic completeness, as well as the rapid obsolescence of certain economic maps. Nevertheless, the loose-leaf binding permits revised documents to replace outdated ones, supporting the conception of the atlas as a living resource. As Madagascar’s first national atlas, the completed work provides a coherent reference for administrators, researchers, businesses, educators, and the wider public. It also supports the adaptation of geography teaching to national realities, demonstrates Franco-Malagasy scholarly cooperation, and strengthens the university’s integration into the society it serves.