1928 Terezia and Janos Pictorial Wall Map of Africa in Hungarian

This is a c. 1928 Baloghné Hajós Terézia and Bálint János pictorial wall map of Africa entirely in Hungarian. Incredible illustrations of thirty-three African animals, divided between mammals, birds, and reptiles, populate the 'Dark Continent.' The elephant, lion, giraffe, sperm whale, and Nile crocodile immediately draw the eye. Some of the other eye-catching animals include a water buffalo, hippopotamus, ring-tailed lemur, camel, aardvark, chimpanzee, gorilla, ostrich, and flamingo. While African political geography is mostly ignored (a handful of countries, including Senegal, Egypt, and Somalia, are referenced), the continent's physical geography is emphasized. Two of Africa's many lakes, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa (now known as Lake Malawi), are illustrated, along with some of its rivers: the Congo, Nile, and Zambezi. A table in the lower-left divides the animals into mammals, birds, and reptiles. The table lists them in alphabetical order within each group and provides scientific names.

Publication History and Census

This map was designed by Baloghné Hajós Terézia and drawn by Bálint János c. 1928. It was printed by the Magyar Királyi Állami Térképészet, or Royal Hungarian State Cartography. We have good reason to believe there are other similar maps covering all continents, but we are aware of surviving examples only of Africa and Asia. In 1928, Terézia issued a zoological atlas incorporating 1/3rd sized version of this map, as well maps of the other continents, lacking further evidence, we have followed this date. This is the only example we have identified.