Cartographical Survey: National Atlas of Ghana. First Folio

Summary

This is an academic review of the first folio of the National Atlas of Ghana, edited by Professor E. A. Boateng under the Ghana National Atlas Project of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. The folio comprises 16 maps covering themes such as agriculture, demography, transport, education, and banking. The review notes that the atlas employs a uniform scale of 1:1,500,000, facilitating cross-map comparison, yet the data span from 1960 to 1970, requiring cautious interpretation. Cartographically, the maps utilize diverse symbolization techniques including pie graphs, proportional circles, dot maps, choropleths, and flow lines. However, the review criticizes the garish color scheme, inconsistent intensities of standard colors, and inconsistent use of black versus grey for titles and borders. While type styles and sizes are generally well chosen, the placement of symbols over lettering causes confusion. The reviewer concludes that greater consistency would have improved the atlas's overall appearance and legibility.