H. T. B. · 1943
The review praises the wartime production of the Atlas of the Tanganyika Territory, crediting the Chief Surveyor and his staff, the Government Printer at Dar-es-Salaam, and the local government. About eighteen polyconic maps use a common base with thematic overprints to depict physical conditions, biogeography, human geography, and industry and commerce. The reviewer considers their generalized coverage appropriate to the roughly 1:4,000,000 scale and praises the colours and generally good registration. Historical maps suffer from repeated reproduction. The place-name list omits familiar names; its spelling is largely consistent, though a few variants are questioned. Comparison with the 1922 P.C.G.N. list reveals limited overlap. Despite a cartographical-history note, the atlas does not indicate the current state of topographical mapping or direct readers to more detailed information. The review connects these limitations to difficulties obtaining recent colonial publications in Britain and calls for a central institution in London.
P. J. Greenway · 1949
P. J. Greenway reviews the Atlas of the Tanganyika Territory, produced by the Survey Division, Department of Lands and Mines in 1942, and reports plans for a new edition. H. P. Rowe’s foreword describes an effort to present historical, physiographical, economic, and climatic information simply; limited accurate knowledge and wartime conditions prevented inclusion of some additional subjects. The original looseleaf atlas contained 27 sheets, statistics, a gazetteer, a foreword, and a contents list. Its five sections cover physical geography, biogeography, human geography, industry and commerce, and history, including early maps, representations of the Nile’s sources, Dar es Salaam’s development, and European exploration routes. Wartime security restricted distribution to Tanganyika government departments. Hydrography and provisional malaria sheets were added in 1943, while soil and vegetation maps were in preparation. Printing of the new edition was expected to finish around December 1948, with binding still required and public availability hoped for in 1949. Greenway praises the atlas’s color printing, production, and consolidation of useful information from scattered, sometimes inaccessible publications.
Walter W. Ristow · 1951
Ristow reviews the December 1948 edition of the Atlas of the Tanganyika Territory against the 1942 first edition, which contained 27 map plates. He reports that strong demand prompted printing of a new edition in 1946. It retained the original format while updating virtually all maps, adding several new ones, and improving the coloring. Except for the historical section, the maps are at 1:4,000,000, and most have a page of descriptive text. Ristow judges the result a comprehensive cartographic picture of Tanganyika.
