GEOGRAPHY 1 



The development of Geography as a university study 

 is of about as recent a date in France as in other European 

 countries. Cartography at home and exploration abroad 

 have flourished longer. 



The maps of France, published on various scales and 

 styles by the Service Geographique de PArmee and other 

 official departments, are of unusual excellence; the 

 contoured sheets for Algeria on a scale of 1:50,000 are 

 admirable specimens of topographic art. But (as is 

 generally the case) the topographers who have produced 

 these fine maps have left to others the development of a 

 scientific method of accurately and intelligibly describ- 

 ing in words the facts of form and distribution which 

 maps portray graphically. A partial exception to this 

 statement is found in General BERTHAUT'S "Topologie" 

 (1909-10), in which many beautiful examples of topo- 

 graphic work are reproduced, but the text savors of an 

 earlier century than the 2oth. 



French explorers of oceans and continents have de- 

 servedly gained renown for bringing to light the existence 

 of previously unknown lands and waters; but, like 

 most other explorers, those of France have not con- 

 tributed greatly to the systematic aspects of modern 

 geographical science. The great SOCIETE DE GEO- 

 GRAPHIE of Paris gives opportunity for study in its 

 extensive library, supports exploration with its funds, 

 publishes the results in its journal, "La Geographic," 



1 [Drafting Committee: W. M. DAVIS, Harvard University; R. H. 

 WHITBECK, University of Wisconsin. ED.] 



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