1Making knowledge visible is the purpose of the atlases produced by IRD from the 1970s for Côte d’Ivoire and French overseas depart- ments and territories. These publications have always combined and crystallised the knowledge of as many as a hundred contributors, experts in geology, economics, botany, agriculture, history or demography, generally under the responsibility of geographer-researchers. The knowledge gained in all these fields was collected with the dual aim of inventorying and enhancing the consistency of information, and was ultimately presented in the form of maps and records.

Cover of the Atlas de la Nouvelle-Calédonie.

2Meanwhile, another type of atlas was regularly published from 1967 to 1987. Referred to as “Land Atlasas”, they focused on the agrarian structures of sub-Saharan countries, each describing the situation in a specific country, thereby facilitating benchmarking between countries.

Cover of a CD-ROM atlas on South Africa.

••• Various atlases have been produced and published by IRD at the request of Southern States or overseas territories, but also to explore specific scientific fields •••

3Generally created at the request of States or territories, traditional large-format atlases have been published on New Caledonia (1981 and 2013), French Guiana (1979 and 2001), Polynesia (1993), Cameroon (1995 and 2000), etc. They provide countries or territories with a sovereignty tool, even a strong symbol of unity. This explains their usually large print runs and broad dissemination among institutions. Certain publications are also dedicated to cities of the Global South, like the Quito, La Paz, Ouagadougou and Hà Nôi atlases, or to economic sectors, like the Atlas of small-scale fisheries in Peru, released in 2017, or various atlases of tuna-like species in the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Some of the themes developed have resulted in further studies to assist in the economic or political decision-making process (land reform, fisheries regulations, land use planning, etc.).

Cover of the Atlas de la province extrême-nord Cameroun.

“The Atlas de la Nouvelle-Calédonie published by Orstom in 1981 continues to be a reference to this day, due to the wealth of knowledge and pertinent analyses it contains. Nevertheless, the need to update information and set meaningful benchmarks for the understanding of contemporary New Caledonia prompted the New Caledonia Assembly to produce a new atlas, in close partnership with IRD.” 
Excerpt from the foreword of the Atlas de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (2013), Roch Wamytan, president of the New Caledonia Assembly