Togo
National Atlases
The national atlas tradition of Togo is a quiet but significant chapter in the country’s post-independence cartographic history. Emerging in the early 1990s, a period marked by political transition and renewed efforts at regional planning, the atlas project was spearheaded by the Ministry of Planning and Mines. The sole volume in this collection, the *Regional Development Atlas of Togo* (1993), stands as a testament to the government’s ambition to integrate spatial data into development strategies. Its editorial approach was distinctly practical: rather than a comprehensive national survey, it focused on regional disparities, resource distribution, and infrastructure, using thematic maps to highlight planning priorities. The atlas served as a decision-support tool for policymakers, bridging the gap between statistical data and territorial action. Although no extensive critical literature accompanied its release, its significance lies in its function—it was one of the first systematic attempts to map Togo’s development landscape in a single, coherent volume. For scholars and planners, it remains a valuable baseline for understanding the country’s spatial challenges and the evolution of its planning methodologies. In the broader context of African national atlases, Togo’s contribution is modest yet meaningful, reflecting a pragmatic approach to cartography as a tool for national progress.
Versions and Their Documents
This is the first volume of the national atlas tradition in our collection.
Contemporary and Later Comment
- Journal Article1995Four-Color Printing of the Atlas of Togo
王长江
The Atlas of Togo, commissioned by UNESCO and organized by the ITC in the Netherlands, is the first comprehensive national development atlas of a West African country, comprising 88 thematic maps and 91 explanatory texts. This paper presents the technical practices of Xi'an Meihang Cartographic Printing Factory in undertaking its production. To address issues such as incomplete originals, numerous errors, and missing legends, the factory implemented supplementary compilation and fair drawing, utilized the CPW computer typesetting system for unified annotations, and adjusted map frame proportions to ensure quality. Editorial design was optimized from the perspective of four-color overprinting, with geographic base maps prepared in three separate plates to balance thematic expression. A four-color printing process was ultimately adopted, reducing costs while maintaining high standards, offering a valuable reference for similar atlas production.
From the Physical Collection
Photographs are being prepared for this hall.