Review of books: Atlas do Brasil; Atlas of Israel

Summary

This article compares the national atlases of Brazil and Israel, illustrating the diverse challenges cartographers face when dealing with different national units. The Atlas of Brazil serves as a general geographical sketch of a vast, underdeveloped region, employing basic cartographic methods including physiographic diagrams; despite modest drafting and reproduction standards, its maps are simple and legible, representing a courageous attempt at a formidable task. In contrast, the Atlas of Israel offers a detailed examination of historical and contemporary distributions within the modern state's territory, covering sections on cartography, physical geography, history, demography, economics, and education. Its cartographic techniques follow standard national atlas practices, with high-quality drafting and reproduction, ranking it among the best existing national atlases. Together, these two works highlight the variety of approaches in data presentation and cartographic methodology.