Jean-Charles Houzeau and his relief map of Europe (1857) presented by contour lines

The relief map of Europe by contour lines (hypsometrical curves) in a 1:5,000,000 scale is a monumental work produced by J.-C. Houzeau when he published his “Histoire du sol de l’Europe” (1857).This hypsometrical map of Europe is a genuine masterpiece: contour lines on the recently discovered minute...

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Main Author: Bernard Jouret
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Société Royale Belge de Géographie and the Belgian National Committee of Geography 2008-12-01
Series:Belgeo
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/11885
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author Bernard Jouret
author_facet Bernard Jouret
author_sort Bernard Jouret
collection DOAJ
description The relief map of Europe by contour lines (hypsometrical curves) in a 1:5,000,000 scale is a monumental work produced by J.-C. Houzeau when he published his “Histoire du sol de l’Europe” (1857).This hypsometrical map of Europe is a genuine masterpiece: contour lines on the recently discovered minute-maps, worked out in a 1:1,000,000 scale, were reduced to a smaller 1:5,000,000 scale, with the aid of a pantograph. This work by J.-C. Houzeau, carried out with the help of his brother Auguste, is a breathtaking achievement from a scientific and geographic point of view. J.-C. Houzeau made use of tens of thousands of altitudes obtained from the engineers-surveyors of the “Ponts et Chaussées” {roads and bridges), civil servants (if any) in the various countries concerned and the engineers-geographers of the military services, in charge of laying out in the Ordnance Survey Maps. More particulary, he used more than 12,000 barometrical marks! All the points that were used are positioned (in a 1:1,000,000 scale), in latitude and longitude, in one single frame which he created (conical projection with the Paris meridian as origin), involving thus an important number of conversions (the standard of the Greenwich meridian had not yet been established).
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spelling doaj-art-1bc03bbc0b9a42cba0c96b5f5c97f80e2025-08-20T03:18:02ZengSociété Royale Belge de Géographie and the Belgian National Committee of GeographyBelgeo1377-23682294-91352008-12-01339941210.4000/belgeo.11885Jean-Charles Houzeau and his relief map of Europe (1857) presented by contour linesBernard JouretThe relief map of Europe by contour lines (hypsometrical curves) in a 1:5,000,000 scale is a monumental work produced by J.-C. Houzeau when he published his “Histoire du sol de l’Europe” (1857).This hypsometrical map of Europe is a genuine masterpiece: contour lines on the recently discovered minute-maps, worked out in a 1:1,000,000 scale, were reduced to a smaller 1:5,000,000 scale, with the aid of a pantograph. This work by J.-C. Houzeau, carried out with the help of his brother Auguste, is a breathtaking achievement from a scientific and geographic point of view. J.-C. Houzeau made use of tens of thousands of altitudes obtained from the engineers-surveyors of the “Ponts et Chaussées” {roads and bridges), civil servants (if any) in the various countries concerned and the engineers-geographers of the military services, in charge of laying out in the Ordnance Survey Maps. More particulary, he used more than 12,000 barometrical marks! All the points that were used are positioned (in a 1:1,000,000 scale), in latitude and longitude, in one single frame which he created (conical projection with the Paris meridian as origin), involving thus an important number of conversions (the standard of the Greenwich meridian had not yet been established).https://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/11885cartographyhypsometrycontour linesJean-Charles Houzeau
spellingShingle Bernard Jouret
Jean-Charles Houzeau and his relief map of Europe (1857) presented by contour lines
Belgeo
cartography
hypsometry
contour lines
Jean-Charles Houzeau
title Jean-Charles Houzeau and his relief map of Europe (1857) presented by contour lines
title_full Jean-Charles Houzeau and his relief map of Europe (1857) presented by contour lines
title_fullStr Jean-Charles Houzeau and his relief map of Europe (1857) presented by contour lines
title_full_unstemmed Jean-Charles Houzeau and his relief map of Europe (1857) presented by contour lines
title_short Jean-Charles Houzeau and his relief map of Europe (1857) presented by contour lines
title_sort jean charles houzeau and his relief map of europe 1857 presented by contour lines
topic cartography
hypsometry
contour lines
Jean-Charles Houzeau
url https://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/11885
work_keys_str_mv AT bernardjouret jeancharleshouzeauandhisreliefmapofeurope1857presentedbycontourlines