Afrique 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.

The 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.

Infrastructure 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.

Stylistically, 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.

Historically, 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.

Countries and regions on this map

• Mauritanie
• Sénégal
• Guinée Française
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Dahomey
• Haute-Volta
• Soudan Français
• Niger
• Algérie
• Nigeria
• Liberia
• Sierra Leone
• Gold Coast
• Tchad
• Cameroun
• A.O.F. (French West Africa)
• Atlantic Ocean
• Rio de Oro
• A.E.F. (French Equatorial Africa)
• Various localized districts noted within the map

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Vividly colored representation of territories.
• Iconography depicting local fauna, everyday activities (caravans, fishing scenes).
• Rivers depicted in blue, notably the Sénégal, Niger, and Volta river systems.
• Major towns and ports labeled, such as Dakar, Saint-Louis, Conakry, Abidjan, and Lagos.
• Red lines indicating rail or trunk routes.
• Symbols for air routes and maritime connections suggesting modern trade.
• Cartographic details showcasing coastal activities and pastoral life.
• Decorative cartouche and compass rose.

Historical and design context

• Name: Afrique Occidentale Francaise.
• Date Created: 1951.
• Mapmaker/Publisher: MINISTERE DE LA FRANCE D'OUTREMER.
• Ministry context: Responsible for managing French overseas territories and colonies, reflecting colonial interests during this period.
• Additional 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).
• Themes: Iconography of resources, peoples, fauna, and architecture; modern infrastructure such as railways and air routes connecting to Europe.
• Design/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.
• Historical 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.
• Countries/Regions Shown: The eight A.O.F. territories along with neighboring colonies and countries.

Please 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.

This is a very large map that must be ordered at a large size, so that you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This 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.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.

Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.

We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.

• We can deliver directly to the recipient
• Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
• Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
• Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
• 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide

If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.

Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.

We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.

Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.

Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.

Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.

If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.

Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.

Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 5-year guarantee.

Read our full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

Se non sei soddisfatto del tuo ordine per qualsiasi motivo, contattami per un rimborso senza problemi. Si prega di consultare la nostra politica di reso e rimborso per ulteriori informazioni.

Sono molto sicuro che ti piacerà la tua mappa restaurata o la stampa d'arte. Lo faccio dal 1984. Sono un venditore Etsy a 5 stelle. Ho venduto decine di migliaia di mappe e stampe d'arte e ho oltre 5.000 recensioni reali a 5 stelle.

Utilizzo un processo unico per restaurare mappe e opere d'arte che richiede molto tempo e lavoro. Trovare le mappe e le illustrazioni originali può richiedere mesi. Utilizzo tecnologia all'avanguardia e incredibilmente costosa per scannerizzare e restaurarle. Di conseguenza, garantisco che le mie mappe e stampe d'arte siano superiori alle altre - ecco perché posso offrire un rimborso senza problemi.

Quasi tutte le mie mappe e stampe d'arte sembrano fantastiche a grandi dimensioni (200 cm, 6,5 piedi+) e posso anche incorniciarle e consegnarle a te, tramite un corriere speciale per oggetti di grandi dimensioni. Contattami per discutere delle tue esigenze specifiche.