Reviews: Atlas of Australian Resources

Summary

This review evaluates the Atlas of Australian Resources, a significant postwar cartographic work published by the Department of National Development, Canberra. The atlas comprises approximately 50 large individual sheets (30" by 28"), with ten published to date, covering climate, soil, underground water, population density, minerals, agriculture, and major projects. Each sheet features a single map of Australia at 1:6,000,000 scale on a polyconic projection. Directed by renowned German cartographer Konrad Frenzel, the cartography demonstrates excellent color selection, symbolization, and engraving by the Mentmore Company, Sydney. Each map is supplemented by specialist-authored pamphlets. The Rainfall and Temperature sheets combine annual maps with twelve monthly and three special maps, reflecting climate's critical role in Australian prosperity. The Mineral map uses graded symbols for deposits, though size differentiation insufficiently represents actual production. The Density of Population map effectively employs shaded gray transparent spheres for cities. The review anticipates future sheets of this outstanding work.