Memorandum submitted by the Institut français de l'Afrique noire (French Institute for Black Africa), Dakar: In connexion with the International Atlas of West Africa

This memorandum outlines the development, design and progress of the International Atlas of West Africa coordinated by the Institut français de l’Afrique noire in Dakar. Adopted in 1945 and subsequently constrained by limited funding, the project’s revised 48-plate programme formed the basis of discussions at Ibadan in 1963. Its sequence moves from global location and physical environments to biological distributions, population, society and economic activities, emphasizing regional relationships across political boundaries. Particular attention is given to relief compilation: inconsistent scales and contours and incomplete coverage require interpolation and proposed discontinuous contours derived from aerial photographs, with source quality documented. A loose-leaf atlas and separate explanatory booklets are planned. The memorandum presents regional synthesis as a resource for interdisciplinary research and governmental development decisions. Compilation drafts for relief, climate and population were largely completed and undergoing specialist review; publication of the first plates remained dependent on funding.