Ethiopia
National Atlases
The Ethiopian national atlas tradition emerged in the early 1960s, a period when the imperial state sought to consolidate national identity through modern cartography. The first work, a preliminary atlas published in 1962, was followed by a revised edition in 1970, both reflecting a growing reliance on official statistics from the Central Statistics Office. These early volumes laid the groundwork for a more formalized national project. In 1981, a preliminary edition of the National Atlas was issued, and in 1988, the Ethiopian Mapping Authority produced a definitive version, marking the atlas as an official state instrument. The most recent edition, released in 2015 by the successor agency, updated the country's geographical and statistical data. Across these five editions, the editorial approach shifted from modest academic compilations to comprehensive, state-led cartographic productions. Scholars have noted that the atlas series played a crucial role in constructing a national geographical imaginary, helping to unify diverse regions and peoples under a single visual framework. Today, these atlases are valued not only as reference works but as historical documents that trace Ethiopia's evolving self-representation on the map.
Versions and Their Documents
Contemporary and Later Comment
- Journal Article1973Cartographical Survey: An Atlas of Ethiopia
Duncan Cumming
This is an academic review of the revised edition of "An Atlas of Ethiopia" by Mesfin Wolde-Mariam (Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education, 1970). Building on the preliminary 1962 edition, this version incorporates updated statistical data from the Ethiopian Government's Central Statistics Office and the UN Economic Commission for Africa. Published by the Department of Geography at Haile Selassie I University and printed in Asmara, the atlas is primarily intended as a secondary school textbook. Approximately three-quarters of its content is presented cartographically, with the remainder in statistical tables and diagrams, covering relief, drainage, meteorology, geology, and distribution patterns for agriculture, livestock, crops, population, and languages. The atlas contains about 60 maps at a uniform scale of 1:9,000,000, necessitated by its compact size (28.0×21.5 cm), which poses challenges for clear information display. The review notes that while this atlas cannot be compared to those produced for Tanzania, Kenya, or Uganda—which employ a larger scale of 1:1,500,000—it is justly regarded as a pioneering work addressing a specific educational need. However, the reviewer suggests improvements, including more robust paperback binding, better reproduction of monochrome maps and aerial photographs, flexible scales for regional maps, and future additions such as transliteration notes, a gazetteer, and historical maps. Despite these limitations, the atlas represents a useful and practical contribution to Ethiopian school education.
- Journal Article2022Putting a Nation on the Map: The Construction of a Geographical Imaginary through the Project for a National Atlas of Ethiopia, 1962–1987
Marie Huber
This paper examines the production of the National Atlas of Ethiopia between 1962 and 1987, and how this project constructed a national geographical imaginary through visual and scientific communication. Drawing on the atlas's four editions (1962, 1970, 1981, and 1987) and geographic journal articles, the study analyzes how the atlas served state-led modernization and nation-building agendas under both imperial and socialist regimes. The findings reveal that the atlas functioned not merely as a scientific tool but as a political communication strategy, aiming to legitimize the Ethiopian nation-state by categorizing and defining space, while projecting national sovereignty internationally. Changes in map content and design reflected shifting political and economic contexts, from a focus on Western and UN connections to a more regional orientation. The paper also highlights the atlas's role in education and international development aid, though its reception and dissemination remain understudied. The conclusion underscores the atlas's significance as a historical source for understanding the roots of Ethiopia's current ethnic conflicts, demonstrating how state-led unity policies were enacted through scientific knowledge production.
From the Physical Collection
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