Reviews: Atlas of Sierra Leone

Summary

This review assesses the 1953 Atlas of Sierra Leone produced by the Survey and Lands Department, Freetown. The reviewer acknowledges the value of bringing together authoritative maps of the Colony and Protectorate, praising the physical, soil, political, population-density, geological, and mineral maps. However, he criticizes several weaknesses: the agricultural-products map is overcrowded, township maps are crude and partly inaccurate, vegetation and tribal maps are over-simplified, and some maps (medical, postal, index) are of limited use. He also notes that rainfall data were already outdated and identifies cartographic slips, including a mislocated Kaolack and the upper Niger shown as a road. The atlas's intended audience is unclear—school or specialist—yet the reviewer concludes that despite flaws it is indispensable for serious study of Sierra Leone's geography, and hopes a revised, cheaper edition may follow.