The cartographic representation of Africa has evolved significantly over centuries, reflecting changing knowledge, exploration, and cultural perspectives. Examining historical maps provides insights into how the continent was perceived and understood at different times. This article delves into the details of a 1747 map of Africa, along with other significant maps from the 16th to 19th centuries, highlighting their unique features and historical context.
Africa, 1736 by Herman Moll
Early Depictions of Africa
The earliest obtainable map of the whole continent of Africa comes from Münster’s Cosmographia uniuersalis (Basel, 1554). “Totius Africæ tabula, & descriptio uniuersalis, etiam ultra Ptolemæi limites extensa.” Woodcut map, with added color, 26 x 35 cm.
Münster was able over time to include up-to-date information in the various editions of his atlases, becoming the most influential cartographer of the mid-16th century by soliciting descriptions and maps from German scholars and foreigners. The map of Africa contains many interesting-if not curious- features: a one-eyed giant seated over Nigeria and Cameroon, representing the mythical tribe of the “Monoculi”; a dense forest located in today’s Sahara Desert; and an elephant filling southern Africa.
The source of the Nile lies in two lakes fed by waters from the fabled Mountains of the Moon, graphically presented as small brown mounds. The Niger River begins and ends in lakes. Several kingdoms are noted, including that of the legendary Prester John, as well as “Meroë,” the mythical tombs of the Nubian kings. Few coastal towns are noted, and there is no Madagascar yet. A simplified caravel, similar to those used by the Portuguese (and Columbus), sails off the southern coast.
Read also: Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority
One of the intriguing aspects of this map is the loop of the Senegal River, which is shown entering the ocean in today’s Gulf of Guinea. Actually, this is the true route of the Niger River, but that fact will not be confirmed until the Lander brothers’ expedition in 1830.
Ortelius's Contribution
“Africae tabula noua.” Copperplate map, with added color, 37 x 49 cm. From Ortelius’s Theatrum orbis terrarum (Antwerp, 1584). The standard map of Africa for the last quarter of the sixteenth century. Ortelius lived and died in Antwerp, where he had a bookselling business.
He traveled to many of the great book fairs, established contacts with literati in many countries, collected maps, and became an authority on historical cartography. In 1570, he published the Theatrum, an atlas of fifty-three maps, the first collection of uniform-sized maps depicting all the countries of the known world-the first real atlas. Each map had text on the back describing the country depicted and listing Ortelius’s sources of information.
Here, Africa assumes a more recognizable shape, with a more pointed southern cape. Ortelius uses the Ptolemaic sources of the Nile, two large lakes, but places them farther south. The Niger now empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The “Zanzibar” coastland is featured on the west side, as it is called (Ortelius notes) by Persian and Arab authors, but the island of Zanzibar is correctly placed off the east coast.
Madagascar appears, as do the place-names of numerous towns along the coasts and in the interior, although large empty spaces begin to dominate there. No animal or plant life is indicated, but the oceans contain swordfish and a whale. Three ships in the lower right are caught in the smoke of battle. Beautifully designed and engraved, the map represents a high mark of 16th-century mapmaking.
Read also: Amazing Facts About Africa
The Golden Age of Dutch Mapmaking
“Africae nova descriptio.” Copperplate carte à figures map, with added color, 35 x 45 cm. From the second volume of Blaeu’s Le theatre dv monde; ov Novvel atlas contenant les chartes et descriptions de tous les païs de la terre (Amsterdam, 1644). One of the most decorative and popular of all early maps of Africa, from the “golden age” of Dutch mapmaking.
In the format called carte à figures, this appealing map contains oval views of, presumably, the major cities and trading ports of Africa at the time: Tangier and Ceuta (Morocco), Tunis (Tunisia), Alexandria and Cairo (Egypt), Mozambique (seaport of Mozambique), Elmina (Ghana, site of the largest and most spectacular castle in Africa built by the Portuguese), and Grand Canary (Canary Islands) Side panels depict costumed natives from areas visited along the coasts.
The interior is decorated with exotic animals (lions, elephants, ostriches), which were (and still are) a major source of fascination for the public. The Nile (today’s White Nile) is shown flowing from the Ptolemaic lakes of Zaire and Zaflan. Flying fish and strange sea creatures cavort in the oceans, and the sailing ships all bear Dutch flags.
Probably the most interesting cartographic feature is the identification of specific large territories or kingdoms, which have been outlined in color, including a huge Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and Monomotapa (all of southern Africa).
Colonization of Africa - Summary on a Map
Herman Moll's Influential Map
Moll, Herman, d. “To the Right Honourable Charles, Earl of Peterborow and Monmouth, &c This Map of Africa . . . Is Most Humbly Dedicated.” Copperplate map, with added color, 56 x 94 cm. A large decorative map by a German-born English mapmaker known for a number of influential maps, including the “Beaver Map” of North America.
Read also: Discover Thula Thula
One of the characteristics of a Moll map is the textual chattiness. He shows the best course for sailing from Great Britain to the East Indies “in the spring and fall” (follow the dots), as well as the general directions of winds and the months in which they prevail. Grain, Ivory, Gold, and Slave coasts are clearly identified for commercial interests.
In Moll’s construction, the Niger originates in Borno Lake, possibly a reference to today’s Lake Chad. The sources of the Blue Nile are evident, but the White Nile is completely absent. The Mountains of the Moon (here, “Luna Mountains”) form the southern boundary of a vast Ethiopia, a country that is “wholly Unknown to the Europeans.” Many of Moll’s territories are different from Blaeu’s in shape and scope.
As if to promote an English presence on the continent and to show that it can be protected, the map includes insets of several English forts as well as an attractive “prospect” (with a key) of the Cape of Good Hope.
Bowen's Map of West Africa (1747)
Emanuel Bowen's map of West Africa, printed in London in 1747, provides a detailed look at the region from the Canary Islands to Congo. This map, titled "A New & Accurate Map of Negroland and the Adjacent Countries, also Upper Guinea," showcases the European perspective on West Africa during the mid-18th century.
Bowen's 1747 Map of West Africa
The map extends along the coast from Sao Tome to the Canary Islands, labeling Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Benin as "Tooth Coast," "Gold Coast," and "Slave Coast," respectively. Inland details are largely fictional, with invented lakes, rivers, deserts, and kingdoms. Descriptions such as "Gabou from whence they bring Jasper and Slaves" and "Tomabut from whence are brought Gold, Ivory and good tin" reflect the commercial interests of the time.
The map includes a large decorative cartouche, a compass rose, and extensive annotations. It details the kingdoms and countries in the regions of Barbary, Sarra (Sahara), Negroland, and Upper Guinea, noting coastal settlements and those along major rivers like the Senegal, Gambia, and Niger. Major cities are marked with small red designs. Annotations provide context for kingdoms and features, such as the fighting power of the "Duleim Arabs" and the etymology of Azagar.
Hase's Map and Cultural Depictions
“Africa secundum legitimas projectionis stereographicae regulas et juxta recentissimas relationes et observationes in subsidium vocatis quoque veterum Leonis Africani. . . .” Copperplate map, with added color, 45 x 57 cm. Hase became a professor of mathematics at Wittenberg in 1719 and worked for the heirs of the great German cartographer Johann Baptiste Homann (“Homann Heirs” as the map publishing firm was known) beginning in the 1730s.
In his map of Africa, “according to the most recent reports and observations,” Hase identifies several territories or kingdoms but not all have been accentuated by the colorist. Ultimately, it is the cartouche area of Hase’s map that captures the viewer’s attention.
A discussion (interview?) takes place between European traders, one in a chair, and a local chief or king, seated on the back of a kneeling supplicant on an ornate mat or rug. A view of Table Bay and Cape Town, with its distinctive Table Mountain, at the Cape of Good Hope provides background. A lion family, tortoise, crocodile, and snake populate the foreground, while elephant tusks and various birds decorate the title box.
Clouet's School Map
Clouet, J. B. L. (Jean-Baptiste Louis), b. “Lacs, fleuves, rivières et principales montages. de l’Afrique.” Copperplate map, with added color, 31 x 35 cm., with side panels of text on larger sheet. From Clouet’s Géographie moderne avec une introduction (Paris, 1787). A bare-bones school map of the geographic features of Africa as known toward the end of the eighteenth century.
In his less-is-more approach, he has attempted to remove fictitious and/or inaccurate elements in favor of a few known, inherited geographic facts, though even some of those are rather weak. He has also eliminated the clutter of surrounding islands.
Clouet devotes the left side to a discussion of the Nile, its sources and significance, making reference to the opinion of the great French cartographer Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville (1697-1782). Clouet labels the Ethiopian source as the moderne one, though he also shows the White Nile flowing from the Montagnes de la Lune. In the right-hand panel, among his descriptions of other rivers, Clouet states that the Niger flows to the east. He hopes that one day all confusion about the relationship between the Gambia and Senegal rivers will be resolved.
Cary's No-Nonsense British Map
Cary, John, ca. “A New Map of Africa from the Latest Authorities.” Copperplate map, with added color, 45 x 51 cm. From Cary’s New Universal Atlas (London, 1808). A turn-of-the-century no-nonsense British map that clearly presents the geographical gaps that will consume the attention of explorers, the majority of them British, for the rest of the century.
From his business in the Strand in London, Cary developed a reputation for creating beautifully printed, clean-looking and accurate maps that presented only the most recent geographical information. His “General Map” (1794) of the British Isles was the first to use Greenwich as the prime meridian, which is the standard observed today. In this map of Africa, the Mountains of the Moon are shown to be a continuation of the Mountains of Kong.
The sources of today’s Blue Nile, firmly established by James Bruce in his travels in the 1770s, are noted; the White Nile appears to gather itself from foothill streams of the lunar mountains. Caravan routes cross the Sahara, but no European has used them yet to reach Tombouctou (Timbuktu).
Tallis's Decorative Atlas
“Africa.” Steel engraved map, with some added color, 22 x 30 cm., with five vignettes. From Tallis’s The Illustrated Atlas, and Modern History of the World, Geographical, Political Commercial & Statistical, edited by R. Montgomery Martin (London, 1851). Issued to coincide with the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, Tallis’s atlas was regarded as a tour-de-force of the mapmaker’s art, scientific in intent but visually attractive: one of the most decorative atlases of the nineteenth century.
More than five-sixths of the region are still unknown to European geographers. Vast sandy wastes with occasional green and habitable spots characterize Africa. . . . The chief streams of which we have any definite and accredited account are the Nile, Niger, Joliba, Senegal, Gambia, Congo, Orange, Quilimane and the Haines.
Between the time of this and Cary’s map, British explorers have crossed the Sahara, descended the Niger to its outlet in the Gulf of Guinea, and visited large areas of west and southern Africa. Not surprisingly then, the map’s vignettes show an Algerian family, a Bedouin Arabs’ desert encampment, two different Hottentot tribes (Bosjeman and Korranna) of southern Africa, and a view of the island of St. Helena.
Levasseur's Political Representations
“Afrique.” Steel engraved map, with some added color, 21 x 23 cm., set within a larger pictorial framework. From Levasseur’s Atlas national illustré des 86 départements et des possessions de la France (Paris, 1852). An interesting contrast to the preceding English map of the same period, this French version appears subordinate to its surrounding pictorial (and political) representations.
The decorations, however, are intriguing and revealing. The hot African sun reigns over the continent. On the right, a French military officer is showing an armed Arab a map or other document (a surrender document?), while French soldiers and Arab horsemen look on. Seated above them on a shelf is a turbaned Muslim holding a tablet lettered CORAN (Koran).
Along the bottom is a display of fruit, foliage, and animals, including small oval views of Alexandria, Cairo, and Algiers. An African woman, with lions at her feet and a camel and ostrich at her side, is seated on the left. An obelisk and pyramid (bearing current population statistics) recall ancient history.
The French text notes that the descendants of Cham, one of Noah’s sons, spread through the continent, first in Egypt and Libya, and that Algeria (recently conquise by the French) will have a glorious future.
Andriveau-Goujon's Detailed Exploration Map
“Carte générale de l’Afrique, d’après les dernières découvertes.” Steel engraved map, with some added color, 58 x 85 cm. Probably issued in Andriveau-Goujon’s Atlas classique et universel de géographie ancienne et moderne . . . (Paris, 1856). The quarter century gap between the dates of these two maps was probably the most productive period for African exploration in the history of the continent.
The geographic gains from the expeditions of David Livingstone (southern), Sir Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke (lake region) are evident.
| Cartographer | Map Title | Year | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Münster | Totius Africæ tabula | 1554 | Mythical creatures, early Nile sources |
| Ortelius | Africae tabula noua | 1584 | More accurate shape, Zanzibar location |
| Blaeu | Africae nova descriptio | 1644 | Decorative, major cities depicted |
| Moll | Map of Africa | 1735 | Textual annotations, trade routes |
| Bowen | A New & Accurate Map of Negroland | 1747 | West Africa, fictional inland details |
| Hase | Africa secundum legitimas | 1730s | Cultural depictions, Cape Town view |
| Clouet | Lacs, fleuves, rivières | 1787 | Simplified school map, Nile discussion |
| Cary | A New Map of Africa | 1808 | Geographical gaps, Greenwich meridian |
| Tallis | Africa | 1851 | Decorative, vignettes of African life |
| Levasseur | Afrique | 1852 | Political representations, French influence |
| Andriveau-Goujon | Carte générale de l’Afrique | 1856 | Detailed exploration, Livingstone's routes |
Popular articles:
tags: #Africa
