Nearly five hundred maps of France’s physical geography, population and cities: The first three volumes of the Atlas of France

Robert Ferras reviews the first three published volumes of the Atlas de France—Population, Environments and Resources, and Urban Space—which contain 427 maps and figures within a planned fourteen-volume series. In the visible opening and closing passages, he praises their manageable format, explicit documentation of sources and methods, and combination of conventional maps, grid-based mapping, satellite imagery and spatial models, emphasizing their usefulness for teaching. Population addresses growth, concentration, mobility and changing regional patterns. Environments and Resources revises familiar geographical perceptions through treatments of landscapes, forests, climate, hydrology and natural hazards. Its comparison of the 1976 water deficit with drought relief payments shows that aid distribution also reflected social factors and crop types. Urban Space situates French cities within national and European urban systems, combining historical perspectives with neighbourhood-scale analysis and using choremes and simple models to clarify urban structures. Its lower urban threshold of 20,000 inhabitants identifies 232 cities in metropolitan France containing 58% of the population. Ferras also warns that restrictions on access to data, particularly concerning unemployment and nationality, threaten both urban research and citizens’ knowledge. The Rouen example illustrates how a consistent geometric grid can support comparisons across time and between cities, provided the necessary data remain available.