The Atlas of British Columbia is the first majorcartographic study of the province to be published since 1956. Createdthrough close co-operation between government, the private sector, andthe unviersity, it is the successor to the British Columbia Atlasof Resources which, for twenty years, has been the standardreference work used by schools, industry, government, and the generalpublic.
The most recent data available have been used to give an accurate,comprehensive picture of British Columbia's economy as it is today.Comparative studies show the development orf the province'smanpower and natural resources as well as the rapid growth of industryand technology since the beginning of the century. In party, theemphasis of the atlas reflects thousands of specific requests forup-to-date resource information rercorded over the last ten years.
For easy reference, the three main subject areas are divded intosixty-one topics -- each illustrated by a map page and a facing page ofinterpretive text. They include:
The People: changes in population and settlementpartterns; distribution of Native peoples; growth of the labourforce.
The Environment: geological, topographical, andclimatic features; concentration of fish and game.
Resource Use: distribution of natural resources;development of indstury; communication and transportation links;location of energy resources; development of recreational lands.
The atlas has 115 maps, 74 illustrations, tables and diagrams. Boldcolours and explicit keys contribue to the easy, rapid interpretationof data. A Gazetteer and an Historical and StatisticalSummary are included to provide a quick reference for the mostcommonly sought facts and to supplement maps and text.
The atlas is an indispensable reference tool for government officials,
businessmen, investors, industrialists, teachers, students, librarians,
environmentalists, and all people with a fundamnetal interest in the
past, present, and future development of British Columbia.
A.L. Farley was a cartographic editor of theBritish Columbia Atlas of Resources (1956) and is on thefaculty of the Department of Geography at the University of BritishColumbia. He specializes in the regional geography of the PacificNorthwest and cartographic design.
