Reviews of Books: The Atlas of Kenya

Summary

This review assesses the Atlas of Kenya (1959), modelled on the Atlas of Tanganyika and published by the Survey of Kenya at an opportune moment. The atlas features looseleaf binding, large-format maps of the whole country at 1:3,000,000, provincial maps at 1:1,000,000, twenty town plans, and historical maps dating from 1564 to 1856. While praising its design, legibility, and cartographic quality, the reviewer suggests improvements in the agricultural and communications maps and notes the inadequacy of population mapping, recommending additional maps illustrating population structure and racial composition. Although too expensive for most school libraries, the atlas is considered an essential reference for students of Kenya's geography, and the Survey of Kenya is warmly congratulated for this excellent production.