{"product_id":"old-map-of-french-west-africa-1951-aof-territories-pictorial-vignettes-rail-air-and-sea-links","title":"Old Map of French West Africa, 1951: AOF Territories; Pictorial Vignettes; Rail, Air and Sea Links","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfrique Occidentale Française, issued in 1951 by the Ministère de la France d’Outremer, is a brilliantly colored, deliberately lively portrait of French West Africa at mid-century. Framed by a decorative cartouche and a jaunty compass rose, it gathers the eight territories of the A.O.F.—Mauritanie, Sénégal, Guinée Française, Côte d’Ivoire, Dahomey, Haute-Volta, Soudan Français, and Niger—into a single, engaging tableau. The composition reads as both overview and invitation, a visual narrative that sweeps from the Atlantic littoral to the Sahel and Sahara. Its tone is animated and optimistic, capturing the official imagination of the period while offering a crisp, legible guide to the federation’s geography, cities, and routes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map brims with iconography that celebrates economic and cultural variety. Cartoon-like vignettes show caravans threading desert tracks, fishermen along the coast, bustling ports, and pastoral scenes in the interior. Local fauna and architectural cues punctuate the landscape, signaling regional identities at a glance. Rivers, painted in bold blue, organize the story: the Sénégal flows westward to Saint-Louis and Dakar; the Niger arcs through Soudan Français and Niger; the Volta system structures Haute-Volta and its neighbors. Major towns—Dakar, Saint-Louis, Conakry, Abidjan, and beyond—are crisply labeled, anchoring a visual rhythm that moves from coastal enterprise to inland everyday life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInfrastructure is the connective tissue of this design. Red lines mark railways and trunk routes, tracing the operative skeleton of commerce and administration—linking ports to interior markets and conveying the promise of mobility. Symbols for air routes arc toward Europe, while maritime emblems cluster along the Atlantic, underscoring a web of global exchanges focused on Dakar, Conakry, and Abidjan and extending toward Lagos and the Gold Coast. The effect is purposeful: a graphic assertion that West Africa sits within a modern, integrated network, where agricultural basins, mining districts, and urban nodes are coordinated across boundaries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStylistically, the map fuses mid-century optimism with didactic clarity. Regions are demarcated in high-contrast, saturated tones; towns and borders are outlined with a sure illustrative line; the rivers’ electric blue threads stitch the composition together. The projection is schematic rather than strictly geodetic, privileging legibility and theme over navigational precision—an infographic before the term existed. Playful pictorials double as a legend, compressing ethnography, economy, and environment into instantly readable cues. Decorative flourishes, from the cartouche to the compass rose, ground the exuberant palette in official gravitas while guiding the eye across coast, savanna, and desert.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorically, this work stands at a telling moment. In 1951, under the Fourth Republic, the Ministère de la France d’Outremer managed a federation that would dissolve before decade’s end; here, the A.O.F. appears coherent, prosperous, and connected. The sheet functions as both advertisement and overview, presenting colonial ambitions through a carefully curated lens of abundance, infrastructure, and order. Labels for Algérie, A.E.F., Cameroun, Tchad, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Rio de Oro situate the federation within a wider political mosaic. Today, the map reads as a layered artifact—part economic geography, part cultural panorama, part visual rhetoric—capturing the aspirations and contradictions of its era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCountries and regions on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMauritanie\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSénégal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGuinée Française\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCôte d’Ivoire\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDahomey\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHaute-Volta\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSoudan Français\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNiger\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlgérie\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNigeria\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiberia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSierra Leone\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGold Coast\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTchad\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCameroun\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA.O.F. (French West Africa)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAtlantic Ocean\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRio de Oro\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA.E.F. (French Equatorial Africa)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious localized districts noted within the map\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVividly colored representation of territories.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIconography depicting local fauna, everyday activities (caravans, fishing scenes).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRivers depicted in blue, notably the Sénégal, Niger, and Volta river systems.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMajor towns and ports labeled, such as Dakar, Saint-Louis, Conakry, Abidjan, and Lagos.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRed lines indicating rail or trunk routes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSymbols for air routes and maritime connections suggesting modern trade.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCartographic details showcasing coastal activities and pastoral life.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDecorative cartouche and compass rose.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eName: Afrique Occidentale Francaise.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDate Created: 1951.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMapmaker\/Publisher: MINISTERE DE LA FRANCE D'OUTREMER.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMinistry context: Responsible for managing French overseas territories and colonies, reflecting colonial interests during this period.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdditional notes: Vivid color-lithographed map of French West Africa in a lively cartoon style focusing on the eight A.O.F. territories (Mauritanie, Sénégal, Guinée Française, Côte d’Ivoire, Dahomey, Haute-Volta, Soudan Français, Niger).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThemes: Iconography of resources, peoples, fauna, and architecture; modern infrastructure such as railways and air routes connecting to Europe.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesign\/Style: Highly colorful, cartoonish presentation with representations of towns, fauna, and everyday life; notable use of blue for rivers and vibrant colors to demarcate regions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical Significance: Serves as both advertisement and overview of the colonial pursuits in French West Africa, representing the economic and cultural narrative of the region during the colonial era.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCountries\/Regions Shown: The eight A.O.F. territories along with neighboring colonies and countries.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a very large map that must be ordered at a large size, so that you can easily make out all of the details. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the \u003ca href=\"\/de\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003ebest old maps\u003c\/a\u003e to see if something else catches your eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact me\u003c\/a\u003e to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex\/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x18in (30x45cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58018779234688,"sku":"UM00276367A","price":75.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x18in (30x45cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58018779267456,"sku":"UM00276368A","price":200.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x18in (30x45cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58018779300224,"sku":"UM00276369A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58018779332992,"sku":"UM00276370A","price":75.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58018779365760,"sku":"UM00276371A","price":200.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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