The Atlas of Uganda

Summary

This paper, based on a presentation to the Conference of Commonwealth Survey Officers and subsequent discussions, describes the conception, planning, compilation, and production of The Atlas of Uganda. The author explains that in 1961 the Uganda Department of Lands and Surveys was overstretched by cadastral and land-administration duties, leaving little capacity for mapping. After Uganda's constitutional conference set independence for October 1962, the department decided to produce a national atlas in time for Independence Day. The atlas was intended to present in attractive cartographic form Uganda's physical geography, climate, flora and fauna, resources, peoples and development. About forty maps were initially listed; the design used right-hand maps with facing texts, statistics and photographs. Most maps were at 1:1,500,000 on a transverse Mercator projection, the bound volume measuring roughly 20.7 by 19.6 inches. The paper deals with choice of map subjects in consultation with Makerere University College's Geography Department, base-map styling (dark grey base, water tint, neutral grey surround), scribing and masking techniques, use of mechanical screens, and the bottleneck caused by hand-set letterpress. Production was tightly scheduled: data and texts were to be assembled by March, scribing and proofing by June, leaving three months for printing about one million impressions. Throughout, the author stresses the need to use familiar materials and proven techniques rather than experiment under deadline pressure. The discussion at the end compares the Uganda atlas with earlier Kenya and Tanganyika atlases, praises the speed of production and interdepartmental cooperation, and considers cartographic details such as route colours and town plans. A separate report summarizes an informal meeting of land surveyors at the RICS on 15 December 1966, at which Major A J Ayers and C C Brown described field tests of the Geodimeter Model 6 and Tellurometer 101: reduced weight and power consumption, greater range, simpler operation, accuracy comparisons on baselines and over 10–50 km distances, and practical advice on target marking, frequency control, and operating costs. Overall, the paper documents a remarkable national mapping achievement balancing technical cartography with administrative constraints, and offers useful lessons for other survey departments.