U of S, Province Unveil New Saskatchewan Atlas

Posted September 27, 1999


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 24, 1999 99-09-12-OTHER

U of S, Province Unveil New Saskatchewan Atlas

The University of Saskatchewan and the Province of Saskatchewan proudly unveiled the new Atlas of Saskatchewan at a formal book launch on the U of S campus today. The Government of Saskatchewan will purchase a copy of the Atlas for every school in the province. When presenting the cheque in the amount of $100,000.00 to University President Peter MacKinnon, the Honourable Maynard Sonntag, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training, stated, "the Saskatchewan Atlas celebrates our past and marks the millennium. It exemplifies the diversity of our province, and the many opportunities we have as we look toward our Centennial in 2005 and beyond."

The Atlas of Saskatchewan was first published in 1969 as a Canadian Centennial project under the editorship of Professor J.H. Richards and the cartographic direction of Professor K.I. Fung. Although out of print for more than 25 years, the Atlas of Saskatchewan has continued to be a valuable reference tool.

Compiled using state-of-the-art mapping technology, the Second Edition of the Atlas contains 340 pages and over 800 multicolored maps, expanding greatly on the original version. It is a comprehensive, in-depth view of the province and, like its predecessor, the contents have been organized using a thematic approach. Through the use of multicolored maps and accompanying elaborative texts, the Atlas portrays the province's heritage and history, physical environment, wildlife, natural resources, population, Aboriginal peoples, economy, and major cities in individual themes and in their interrelations and interactions over space and time.

The Atlas of Saskatchewan has been designed for a broad range of users and will be a valuable asset for schools, post secondary institutions, libraries, businesses and industry, government and crown agencies, and the general public - not only in the province and Canada, but world-wide.

The Atlas took over three years to complete and represents a collaborative effort of more than 80 Saskatchewan scholars and scientists who are experts in their fields of specialization. All expenditures on the production and printing of the new Atlas were made in Saskatchewan.

As well as creating one full-time and one half-time position for highly skilled professionals, the Atlas provided support for several graduate students to be trained in leading-edge technical skills. Financial support for the production of the Atlas came from the Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan.

For information about ordering the Atlas, contact the University of Saskatchewan Bookstore, Marquis Hall, 97 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 4L3, phone (306) 966-4468 or fax (306) 966-7416.

For more information, please contact:

Ka-iu Fung, Editor of Atlas of Saskatchewan
Professor of Geography
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5663

or

Dr. Ernie Walker
Dept. of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4181