Kenya

A. G. H.; R. W. S.

The Atlas of Kenya stands as an exemplary work of modern cartography, closely modeled on the esteemed Atlas of Tanganyika. Its loose-leaf binding facilitates updates, and a 1:3,000,000 scale presents the entire country on a single page with clear legends. Featuring 25 thematic maps, provincial series, 20 town plans, and historical maps, the atlas is beautifully designed with legible typography. While agricultural and communication maps could be simplified, and the population dot value is high, the overall production is excellent, offering invaluable reference for Kenya's geographical studies and representing a notable achievement of the Survey of Kenya.

G. R. C.

The *Atlas of Kenya*, compiled, drawn, and printed by the Survey of Kenya, was first published in late 1959 under the direction of R. J. Butler and edited by B. A. McArthur-Davis. Featuring 45 clearly produced plates of high cartographic standard, the atlas covers physical and human geography alongside a wide range of administrative maps. Provincial maps at 1:1M scale use layer coloring, emphasize communications, and include a limited selection of names, while thematic maps at 1:3M scale are based on data from government departments and research organizations. The atlas also includes reproductions of early maps, such as Erhardt and Rebmann's 1856 maps, offering valuable insights for historical geography scholars.

H.A.S.S.

This review assesses the Atlas of Kenya, published in 1959 by the Survey of Kenya. The atlas comprises 45 maps, including 40 fully colored plates, covering Kenya's geography, principal towns, political and administrative divisions, distribution of economic assets, and pests and diseases, supplemented by notes on place-name spelling and pronunciation, five black-and-white historical maps, and a gazetteer. Provincial maps are at 1:1M scale, while most national maps are at 1:3M, with excellent color registration though some strong color juxtapositions may be visually harsh. Thematic maps include drainage, geology, soils, tribal and ethnographic data, communications, police organization, and exploration, with the exploration map notably featuring 28 early explorers, offering both historical insight and tribute. Overall, the atlas represents a significant cartographic achievement, comprehensive and meticulously edited.

Ena L. Yonge

This article provides a systematic summary review of approximately one hundred regional atlases from around the world, organized primarily by continent (or other large region) and then alphabetically by country within each group. The author begins by noting that the ever-increasing flood of atlases—national, regional, topical, and special—makes individual reviews impossible, thus necessitating summary evaluations to acknowledge important publications while respecting space constraints. The review covers representative works from Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, North America, and South America, encompassing road atlases, historical-geographical atlases, national atlases, climatic atlases, economic atlases, and school atlases. Each atlas is assessed in terms of its compiling institution, editors, scales, number of plates, content structure, cartographic techniques, printing quality, and scholarly value, with notable features and shortcomings highlighted. For instance, the European section evaluates works such as the Euroatlas, Atlas östliches Mitteleuropa, Atlas von Niederösterreich, Atlas de Belgique, Climatic Atlas of Czechoslovakia, Atlas of Denmark, and Atlas of Finland, while the American section covers state atlases from Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia, as well as national atlases from Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. The article emphasizes that these atlases not only reflect the research standards of geography and cartography in their respective countries but also serve as vital references for regional planning, economic development, historical research, and education. The author concludes by acknowledging that no single individual can possess sufficient expertise across all aspects of geography, cartography, and linguistics to render definitive critical judgments, yet such summaries offer valuable guidance to scholars, with a forthcoming review of world atlases and special atlases announced.

K. Kuchař

This paper reviews the second edition of the Atlas of Kenya, compiled, drawn, and printed by the Survey of Kenya in 1962. Building upon the first edition of 1959, this version retains the original page format (47×44 cm) but features fully revised maps and several additions, such as a population map updated with 1962 census data alongside the 1949 version, and a new regional division map from 1963. The bookbinding allows for the insertion of additional sheets, transforming it into a permanent, updatable atlas. Thematic maps cover all major geographical aspects of the republic, including climatography, hydrology, geology, pedology, vegetation, agriculture, transportation, industry, ethnography, and public services. The atlas also includes historical maps and exploration routes. Cartographically, it employs areal, signature, and absolute dot methods rather than choropleth or diagrammatic techniques. Despite minor uncorrected flaws from the first edition, the atlas is clear, well-produced, and geographically valuable as a comprehensive compendium of information on this equatorial nation between Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean.

David N. Siriba; Daniel O. Nyangweso

National atlases provide synthesised spatial knowledge of a particular country in the form of maps and textual descriptions. The three East African Countries gained independence at around the same time and most of their topographic mapping programmes were supported by the Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS). Similarly, the first editions of their national atlases were created and published around the same time. However, for various reasons, the national atlases have not been updated for quite some time. The same reasons advanced for the delayed revisions of the topographical are also applicable to the national atlases. The development of web mapping technology, Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and the Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) paradigms have changed how national atlases are prepared and used. SDI and VGI provide a great opportunity for the East African Countries to revive the National Atlas - although the SDI development in East African Countries remains low.