1935 Sulzer Bird's-Eye View Map of East Africa

This is a 1935 Carlo Sulzer bird's-eye view map of East Africa during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War (1935 - 1937). The map follows Mussolini's full-scale invasion of Ethiopia and the public anticipation that it would soon become an Italian colony.

A Closer Look

Sulzer's view looks north over East Africa, with Lake Victoria, Uganda, and Kenya in the foreground. Italian Somaliland, British Somaliland, French Somaliland, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Anglo-Egyptian Sudan fall within the view, with the White Nile situated along the left border. (Modern-day Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, and Djibouti.) The Red Sea and Arabia are in the background. Cities, towns, and villages are labeled throughout, including Addis Ababa (Addis Abeba), Mogadishu (Mogadiscio), Berbera, Khartoum (Chartum), Asmara, and Massaua. The Eastern Rift Mountains and the Ethiopian highlands are strikingly rendered, and a few peaks are labeled, including Mount Kenya. The region's extensive river network and its many lakes are emphasized.

The Second Italo-Ethiopian War

The Second Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-1936) was a part of Fascist Italy's late-to-the-game attempt to establish itself as a colonial power in East Africa. Seeking to expand its empire and avenge its prior defeat at Adwa in 1896, Mussolini launched a full-scale invasion from Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. Despite fierce Ethiopian resistance under Emperor Haile Selassie, Italian forces overwhelmed the country and announced the annexation of Ethiopia, creating Italian East Africa. The League of Nations condemned the aggression but failed to take effective action. Nonetheless, Italian control was extremely limited, some might say non-existent, and faced with persistent and dogged resistance. The Italians were ousted in 1941 by a coalition of British Commonwealth forces and Ethiopian resistance fighters. The war exposed the weaknesses of international diplomacy and emboldened other fascist powers in the lead-up to World War II.

Publication History and Census

This view was created by Carlo Sulzer and published by Antonio Vallardi Editore in 1935. We note 2 examples cataloged in OCLC, which are part of the collections at the Bibliotheek Universiteit van Amsterdam and the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. A handful of examples have appeared on the private market in recent years.