Egypt
National Atlases
The tradition of national atlases in Egypt emerged during the early 20th century, a period marked by growing national consciousness and a desire to systematically document the country’s geography. The sole atlas in this collection, the *Atlas of Egypt* (1928), was prepared at the request of King Fuad I for the 1928 Cambridge Geographical Congress. This work synthesized contemporary knowledge of Egypt’s orography and geology, reflecting a collaborative effort to present a unified scientific portrait of the nation. Its editorial approach combined cartographic precision with thematic breadth, integrating physical and human geography within a single volume. The atlas not only served as a reference for scholars but also symbolized Egypt’s modern identity on an international stage. Its legacy lies in setting a benchmark for future regional mapping projects, demonstrating how a national atlas could both inform and inspire. Today, it remains a valuable historical document, capturing a moment when Egypt asserted its place in the global geographical community through meticulous scholarship and royal patronage.
Versions and Their Documents
This is the first volume of the national atlas tradition in our collection.
Contemporary and Later Comment
- Journal Article1929Review: The Atlas of Egypt
Eugene Van Cleef
This review examines the Atlas of Egypt, compiled by the Survey of Egypt for the International Geographical Congress at Cambridge in 1928. The atlas comprehensively illustrates Egypt's orography, geology, meteorology, and economic conditions, reflecting the latest knowledge of the desert gained through motorized exploration. Notable features include the depiction of new discoveries such as the Qattara Depression, an innovative color scheme distinguishing arable land from desert, detailed geological and meteorological maps (including weather-type maps), and effective population density and economic maps. The atlas is praised for its pioneering cartographic techniques and content, serving as an exemplary work in regional geography.
- Conference Paper1930The new atlas of Egypt
Hussein Sirry Bey
The Atlas, which has been specially prepared for the Congress, by desire of His Majesty the King of Egypt, aims at presenting as clear a conspectus as possible of present-day knowledge concerning the orography, geology and meteorology of Egypt, together with the leading facts concerning its economic geography. The orographical map on the 1/M scale represents the first serious attempt to contour the entire surface of the country. A comparison of the orographical and geological maps appearing in the Atlas with similar maps previously published shows the great advances that have been made in recent years in geographical knowledge concerning Egypt. This rapid progress is mainly due to the use of motorcars instead of camels for transport in the deserts. Recent surveys have led to two unexpected discoveries of great importance. The first relates to the water supplies of the Libyan Desert where the static water-levels of the existing water-sources, apparently, form points on a gently curved underground surface, the contours of which can be drawn without reference either to the surface relief or to the geological structure. This working hypothesis permits the selection of suitable sites for new wells in regions devoid of water. Two excellent wells have already been sunk. The second discovery is that of the Qattara Depression, a great natural excavation embracing 18,000 sq. km. of area below sealevel. This depression, the discovery of which is due to Dr Ball, presents great potentialities as a source of hydro-electric power, being capable of producing 200,000 kw. The investigation of a definite project for the utilization of the Qattara Depression and the study of the numerous engineering problems which arise are being carried out by the Survey of Egypt. In the meteorological section of the Atlas the whole of the Nile basin is included in the maps, which are based on the records from 58 meteorological stations (27 in Egypt and 31 in the Sudan) and from nearly a hundred other stations at which only rainfall is observed. The maps and diagrams which form the economic section are chiefly concerned with the distribution of population and the areas and values of the various agricultural crops. Two facts, prominently brought out by these maps, are, first, the deficiency of cultivation and population in the northern parts of the Delta, and secondly, the much greater value of the perennially irrigated lands of Upper Egypt as compared with the basin lands. Both these facts emphasize the great need for further irrigation works.
From the Physical Collection
Photographs are being prepared for this hall.