Cartography of Africa

Cartography of Africa

overview of cartography in

Main subject	Africa

Indigenous maps

Whereas na dem prepare chaw known early maps of Africa insyd de framework of de colonial enterprise, na dem recently uncover sam indigenous maps, particularly insyd West Africa den Ethiopia.

Earliest European maps

Na dem find de earliest cartographic depictions of Africa insyd early world maps. Insyd classical antiquity, na dem assume Africa (sanso Libya) to cover de quarter of de globe south of de Mediterranean, an arrangement wey na dem adhere to insyd medieval T and O maps.

Na de part of Africa per wey be well known insyd antiquity be de coast of North Africa, dem describe insyd Greek periplus from de 6th century BC. Na Hellenistic era geographers define Ancient Egypt as part of Asia, wey dem take de boundary of Asia den Egypt to lie at de Catabathmus Magnus (de escarpment of Akabah el-Kebir insyd western Egypt). Ptolemy's world map (2nd century) dey show a reasonable awareness of de general topography of North Africa, buh e be unaware of anything south of de equator. De limit of Ptolemy ein knowledge insyd de west be Cape Spartel (35° 48′ N); while na he dey assume dat de coast eventually dey retreat insyd a "Great Gulf of de Western Ocean", na dis no be likely based on any knowledge of de Gulf of Guinea. Insyd de east, Ptolemy be aware of de Red Sea (Sinus Arabicus) den de protrusion of de Horn of Africa, wey dey describe de gulf south of de Horn of Africa as Sinus Barbaricus.

Gallery

• Maps of Africa
• 
  Map of Africa from Sebastian Münster ein Cosmographia (1554)
• 
  1700 map of Africa by Guillaume Delisle
• 
  1885 map of Africa by John Bartholomew, wey dey show de situation on de eve of de European scramble for Africa

Sources

• Nyssen, Jan; Asfaha, Tesfaalem Ghebreyohannes; Meaza, Hailemariam; Dondeyne, S. (2020). "Exploration of a medieval African map (Aksum, Ethiopia) - How do historical maps fit with topography?". Phillippe de Maeyer: liber amicorum. Wachtebeke, Belgium: University Press. pp. 165–178.
• Smidt, W. (2003). "Cartography". Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Vol. 1. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. pp. 688–691.

Read further

• Ettinger, Nathalie; Huxley, Elspeth (1973). Africa and Asia: mapping two continents. London: Aldus Books. ISBN 0490002935.