Political and Physical Maps of Africa

The first of the maps of Africa produced by National Geographic came out in 1899. It was titled "Seat of War in Africa." At this time very little was known about the African continent by the western world. This first map plus the many others that followed played a major part in helping people learn about this continent.

Several of these maps were physical style maps covering subjects such as the history, population, political development and plants and animals of Africa. Other maps produced by National Geographic just covered certain regions of the African continent.

Click on Map Titles that are Links to bring up a Picture of that Map.

Political Maps of the African Continent

Below is a list of the Political style maps of Africa put out by National Geographic over the last 100 plus years:

1. Seat of War in Africa - December 1899 (49"x35") This map was put out shortly after the start of the Second Boer war in South Africa. It contains Tribe names, camping places and desert stations.

2. Africa - March 1909 (21.5"x17") First map to bring Africa to the outside world.

3. Africa and Portions of Europe and Asia - October 1922 (31.5"x28.5") Map of the early 20th century when many parts of Africa was still unexplored.

4. Africa - June 1935 (31"x29.5") The early 20th century produced tremendous changes in Africa. Air Travel and increases in roads lead to increased development and modernization.

5. Africa - February 1943 (31.5"x29.5") Shows Africa during World War 2. Has a Relief map inset and geographical equivalents.

6. Africa and the Arabian Peninsula - March 1950 (31"x28") Captures Libya and Somalia's Independence from colonial administration. Also shows early oil development in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran.

7. Africa map - September 1960 (25"x19") Made during a time when many nations were struggling for their independence.

8. Africa - February 1980 (29"x23") Side A: Here is a beautiful political map of Africa. It includes inset maps of Madeira Islands, Bioko, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Reunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues.

9. Africa - December 1990 (28.5"x22") Side A: This is a political map of Africa with colorful clearly defined borders. On the bottom left is an inset map of climate and terrain.

10. Africa Today - September 2001 (31"x20") Side A: Contains a political map and write-up of present day Africa. Also has six inset maps showing cultural divides, foreign borders, soaring population, wealth of nations, war and its victims and the spread of Aids.

Regional Maps of the African Continent

Here are maps of Africa that show certain regions of the African continent:

1. Northern Africa - December 1954 (41"x29") Features the political administration of Northern Africa. Also has notes about the changes in the Middle East including the partitioning of Palestine.

2. Africa Countries of the Nile - October 1963 (25"x19") Political map of the area around the Nile Valley.

3. Northwestern Africa - August 1966 (25"x19") Political map of Northwestern Africa.

4. Southern Africa - November 1962 (25"x19") Map showing South Africa just after it became a republic the year before.

Physical maps of Africa

Listed below are the Physical maps of Africa put out by National Geographic:

1. The Peoples of Africa - December 1971 (28"x22.5")
Side A: This side has a physical map of Africa and along the outside are illustrations and notes on the different peoples who inhabit this continent. There is an inset map titled Peoples and Languages: A Key to this Map.

2. Heritage of Africa - December 1971 (28"x22.5")
Side B: A huge physical map covers most of this side color coded to show the varied landscapes of this continent. Around the outside of the map there are illustrations of several artifacts produced by the early peoples plus write-ups on the history of how this continent was populated. There is an inset map showing the states and kingdoms of the African past.

3. Africa: It's Political Development - February 1980 (29x23)
Side B: Contains an Old World map of Africa crafted by Flemish cartographer Ortelius in 1750. Has maps and explanations showing an overview of the political development of Africa.

4. Africa Threatened - December 1990 (28.5"x22")
Side B: This map illustrates the serious threats to the earths environment, in particular the African fauna and wildlife. In the center is a large physical map of Africa color coded to show the different vegetation zones. Marked on it are the locations of endangered and vulnerable animals using red and yellow labels. All around the outside of the map are insets of thirteen case studies of endangered animals with pictures. On the left side are two small inset maps of Africa showing human population and dominant land use.

5. Africa's Natural Realms - September 2001 (31"x20")
Side B: Beautiful physical map showing Africa from the perspective of plants and animals. Contains three insets titled Teeming Waters, Thirsty Lands and Fragile Soils.

>6. Africa: A Storied Landscape - July 2005 (24"x22")
Side A: Here is a beautiful physical map of Africa derived from satellite images which shows in great detail how the land of this great continent is made up. All clearly laid out are the deserts, the breadbaskets, the dense forest, the woodlands and shrublands, and the grasslands. Orange and red shading show the areas of heavy population. All along the outside of the map are informative notes to help give more understanding of what is shown on the map.

7. Africa: The Human Footprint - July 2005 (24"x22")
Side B: This fantastic physical map was produced to show the relationship between people and the African continent. It was created by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Earth Institute at Columbia University and is called the Human Footprint map. The map measures four key categories that reveal human influence: population, land use, electrical grids and road-and-rail networks. There are lots of notes throughout to help substantiate what is shown on the map. On the bottom left is an inset map of the whole world shaded using the same type data used for the Africa map.

Link from Maps of Africa to Maps of Continents page
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