Central African Republic中非共和国

Curatorial Note

This gallery presents a single national atlas from the Central African Republic, a country whose cartographic tradition emerged in the early post-independence period. The atlas, produced in 1973 by the Ministry of National Education, reflects a moment when the young republic sought to consolidate its national identity through systematic geographic documentation. The volume, published in French, follows a conventional thematic structure—physical geography, population, economy, and administrative divisions—typical of state-sponsored atlases of that era. Its compilation involved collaboration between local ministries and external experts, a common pattern for former French colonies. Although no contemporary reviews are preserved, the atlas stands as a rare and valuable artifact: it is the only known national atlas from this country, and its production marked an early attempt to standardize geographic knowledge for educational and planning purposes. Its legacy is limited but significant, as later political instability hindered further cartographic projects. For researchers, it offers a snapshot of how a nascent state used maps to assert its presence on the global stage.