Uganda

W. B. Banage

This is an academic review of the Atlas of Uganda, published in 1962 upon the country's independence. While acknowledging the atlas's value as a comprehensive reference work, the reviewer offers professional critiques on cartographic design, content organization, data reliability, and textual consistency. The review notes that the atlas excels in thematic maps on climate, population, and vegetation, yet suffers from questionable map classification, inconsistent base maps, spelling errors, and discrepancies in data treatment. Particular attention is drawn to the omission of the ecological controversy surrounding the Nile perch in Lake Victoria and the challenges of Tilapia aquaculture in the fisheries section. Despite these shortcomings, the reviewer concludes that the atlas remains an indispensable reference for geographical research and teaching on Uganda.

R. C. Bridges

The Atlas of Uganda, published by the Lands and Surveys Department in 1962 to mark the country's independence, was compiled under Bruce Whittaker's direction, featuring 38 sheets mostly at 1:1,500,000 scale, with useful notes and photographs. It comprehensively maps Uganda's physical and human geography, including population density, cultivated land, ethnic divisions, agriculture, economy, health, and education, alongside historical maps showing archaeological sites, political boundary evolution, and explorer routes from 1860-1913. Although the last of the three major East African countries to produce a national atlas, Uganda's is arguably the best, with judicious topic selection and a reasonable price, making it valuable for geographers and anyone interested in African development.

B. B. Whittaker

This paper provides a detailed account of the production of the Atlas of Uganda, published to coincide with the country's Independence Day in October 1962. The author, B B Whittaker, begins by outlining the background: in 1961, the Department of Lands and Surveys was primarily occupied with land administration, leaving limited resources for mapping. However, following the constitutional conference in September 1961, it was decided to commence atlas compilation in January 1962, with the ambitious target of publication by Independence Day. The atlas aimed to present, in an attractive cartographic form, Uganda's physical structure, climate, flora and fauna, resources, peoples, and their developmental achievements, serving as a comprehensive reference for government, academia, and commerce. The paper then details the planning and production process. This includes decisions on format (a square volume with maps on right-hand pages and supplementary text, statistics, and photographs on left-hand pages), scale (1/1 500 000 for most maps using a transverse mercator projection), and map selection (a list of around 40 subjects was refined in consultation with the Department of Geography at Makerere University College). Technical aspects are thoroughly discussed, such as the preparation of base maps (involving trials of various colours for the line plate and a grey surround), scribing and masking techniques (using established methods like Astrastrip), and the management of letterpress, which proved to be a bottleneck. The author also reflects on the challenges of colour control and the overall production schedule. The paper concludes with a discussion section where colleagues praise the atlas's rapid production and cooperative effort, and compare it favourably with atlases from Kenya and Tanganyika. An additional report on a land surveyors' meeting regarding the Geodimeter 6 and Tellurometer 101 is appended.

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.