on the opposite pages, as well as issuing Institution, dates, scales, and availability.
Other index maps give geologic map coverage at varying scales, coverage by soil
maps, maps that show land productivity, natural Vegetation, forest and land use.
Maps of sub-soil resources were not inventoried as many such maps are held con-
fidential by private companies or even public institutions. Substantial additional
geologic coverage is also known to be held by private companies.
Also, climatological and hydrological maps were omitted as a large volume of
data has not yet been put into cartographic form, and a number of maps exist
in manuscript form only.
It is not within the scope of this review to discuss each of the atlases; the plan is
the same for allthe differences lie in the cartographic progress made by each of
the countries concerned. A few remarks about selected countries will have to suffice.
As is, perhaps, natural a few of the smaller countries show a fair to good cover
age. El Salvador may be taken as an example. Here large and medium scale air
photo coverage is good. For much of the country there are topographic maps at a
scale of 1:50,000 with contour intervals of 10 and 20 meters. There is good small
scale geologic coverage (from 1:1,000,000 to 1:80,000), and there are two small
blocks of geologic maps at scales of 1:40,000 and 1:20,000. There are two one-
sheet maps of land types and of potential land use; and several blocks of soil and
related maps at scales of 1100,000 and 1:40,000.
On the other hand, in Brazil, for example, large areas in the Amazon basin and
in the northeast are not even covered by small scale aerial photography. Medium
scale photography occurs mostly in the east and south. There are practically
no planimetric or topographic maps for the Amazon basin and for much of the
Mato Grosso. Medium and large scale maps are available mostly only for the
southern and southeastern parts of Brazil, and for scattered areas in the north
east. Fairly extensive, but scattered areas have been mapped geologically at scales
of 1:1,000,000 and 1:625,000. Other geologic maps - mostly at 1:250,000 and
1150,000 - cover much of the area east of the Xingu River and north of 20 degrees
South. Very little of Brazil has been mapped at scales of over 1:50,000. There are
some soil maps at scales ranging from 1:500,000 tot 1:200,000 and tiny, scattered
areas have been mapped at scales larger than 1150,000. Also other countries besides
Brazil show extensive, essentially blank areas: in Venezuela in the south; in Co
lumbia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in the eastern portions of these countries.
For most planning purposes topographic maps at scales of 1:50,000 and larger
are a necessity. In this category coverage for practically all countries of Latin
America is still meager, and for some extremely so. There is also a great lack of
sufficiently detailed geologic maps, soil maps, Vegetation maps, and maps of pre-
sent and potential agricultural uses.
This series of index atlases shows clearly the immense amount of work that still
needs to be done before we have acquired a basic geographical knowledge of
Latin America. It would be most useful if the work in Latin America could be
completed by similar index atlases for the Guianas, Jamaica, Cuba and the remaining
smaller areas, perhaps, with the support of the United Nations. Also, a similar series
for Africa, financed, for example, by the United Nations, would be exceedingly
important for any future cartographic and development planning in that continent.
Let us hope that such atlases will convince the world at large not only that even
a superficial geographical knowledge of our own planet is still very far from com-
161
K.N.A.G. Geografisch Tijdschrift I (1967) Nr. 2
