L’Atlas international de l’Ouest africain

Summary

This note introduces the first eight map sheets of the International Atlas of West Africa, outlining the project’s origins, production, contents, and scholarly significance. Conceived at the 1945 Conference of West Africanists and coordinated by IFAN, the initiative was later endorsed by an Organization of African Unity scientific body and supported by the Ford Foundation. The initial installment covers West Africa’s global setting, seas and coasts, climate, political and administrative divisions, and zoogeography, using several cartographic scales and bilingual French-English explanatory notes. Although this release addresses regional documentation needs only partially, the planned atlas will eventually comprise about fifty sheets, including relief, land use, education, and health facilities. By treating West Africa as an integrated geographical region, the atlas promises to illuminate both contrasts and similarities across political boundaries while demonstrating the importance of sustained institutional and scholarly collaboration.