This splendid map of Africa was part of a separately issued set of maps comprising the world and four continents by John Cary II son of John Cary, his father and the founder of the firm.

As befits one of the finest map publishers of their generation, this map unites a minimalist aesthetic together with the latest geography to produce an arresting scientific document, which summarises the then current state of the exploration of Africa. The most recent and famous development is shown as a route on the Sahara between Tripoli and Lake Chad. This was an expedition carried out by Hugh Clapperton, Walter Oudney and Dixon Denham, its aim to travel from Tripoli to Bornu, an ancient land in North Africa. Today it is historically known as the Kanem-Bornu Empire, which in modern terms was part of Nigeria, Chad and Libya . This expedition set out from Tripoli in early 1822 and arrived at Kuka or modern Kukawa in Nigeria in 1823. The expedition then returned from Kuka in 1824 and arrived back in Tripoli in 1825. Amongst their achievements, the explorers were the first modern Europeans to see Lake Chad and the first modern Europeans to traverse the Sahara from North to South.

Apart from documenting the above expedition, the map also masterfully contrasts the relatively explored areas of the continent, such as Egypt, the North coast, the areas of western Africa explored by Mungo Park and Alexander Laing, Cape Colony and the Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola. Simultaneously, there are few maps that are so adept at indicating the areas unknown to Europeans, showing these as completely blank or unknown. Finally, as was still common during this period, the map shows the position of the legendary "Mountains of the Moon", in modern terms the Rwenzori Range between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The origin of this name can be traced back to Ptolemy's maps of around 150 A.D. Original hand colour. SL [AFR5858]