Regional atlas of West Africa

Summary

P. Kraske introduces the long-planned bilingual International Atlas of West Africa, whose first sheets appeared in autumn 1968. Its approximately 50 maps are intended to cover physical geography and human topics, including geology, soils, climate, history, languages, population density, industrialisation and urban planning. Spreads measuring about 53 × 76 cm allow the whole region to be shown at the principal scale of 1:5,000,000; other scales are also used. Each map has an explanatory sheet documenting sources and providing diagrams and tables. The first shipment gives substantial attention to fauna and climate, including animal distributions, rainfall, temperature, humidity and monthly seasonal changes. IFAN’s geographical department in Dakar collects and edits the scientific material; publication is reported to have African Unity organisation patronage and Ford Foundation assistance. Kraske expects the atlas to enrich knowledge of West Africa and its resources for economic, social and cultural needs.