Reviews: Atlas of Kenya

R. A. S. S. reviews the first Atlas of Kenya, compiled, drawn and printed by the Survey of Kenya in 1959 from national survey and other governmental sources. Its 45 maps include 40 colour plates and five black-and-white historical maps, supplemented by place-name spelling and pronunciation notes and a gazetteer. Coverage includes physical geography, towns, administrative divisions, economic assets, pests and diseases, and thematic subjects such as soils, ethnography and communications. The reviewer praises its comprehensiveness and excellent colour registration, but finds the 1:3 million scale of most national maps barely adequate for dense information, some colour combinations harsh, and red road lines excessive on otherwise clear 1:1 million maps, especially the Nairobi environs sheet. Emphasizing the research and careful editing required to compile such maps, the reviewer singles out the Exploration plate, naming 28 early explorers, for its apparent depth of historical research, exceptional interest and commemorative value.