{"title":"Old Geological \u0026 Natural Maps","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"1887-geological-map-south-africa-by-edward-dunn-print","title":"1887 Geological Map of South Africa by Edward Dunn","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;\"\u003eThe 1887 \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGeological Sketch Map of South Africa\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, compiled by Edward John Dunn, is a landmark early attempt to depict the geological structure of southern Africa at a continental scale. Printed as a coloured lithograph, it outlines the main geological formations — granitic, sedimentary, volcanic, and metamorphic — across the Cape Colony, Natal, the Boer republics, and Bechuanaland. Rather than a detailed survey, it presents a clear visual synthesis of the region’s broad rock systems and their relationship to topography, rivers, and known mineral deposits. Of particular significance are the marked locations of the Kimberley diamond fields and the Witwatersrand gold region, discoveries that had recently transformed South Africa’s economy. Published during the early stages of the Mineral Revolution, Dunn’s map combined scientific geology with practical resource mapping, offering investors, administrators, and miners an empirical framework for understanding the continent’s substructure. As one of the first serious geological overviews of South Africa, it bridged field observation and imperial enterprise, anticipating the formal geological surveys that would follow in the early 20th century.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;\"\u003eThis map is a reproduction of a historical map that is now in the public domain. It has been \u003cspan style=\"color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext; background: white;\"\u003eselected for its aesthetic appeal and historical interest\u003c\/span\u003e and carefully restored and reproduced to preserve its original detail and character.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eThere may be marks and fold lines visible which add to the authentic look.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eThe map is printed on 230gsm heavyweight coated paper with a matte finish.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eMost old maps were printed on uncoated rag or wood pulp papers and therefore a matte finish best represents the original map.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Africa Map Art","offers":[{"title":"71 x 59cm","offer_id":47533518029022,"sku":null,"price":790.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0738\/9403\/5678\/files\/20250911_1887_Geological_Old_Maps_plain_square_backgrounds_72ppi.png?v=1757772030"},{"product_id":"1894-sa-rainfall-december-july-print","title":"1894 SA Rainfall - December \u0026 July","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: normal; background: white;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;\"\u003eThe paired climatological maps by Alexander Buchan, titled \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSouth Africa Rainfall in December from the Averages of Observations 1885–94\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSouth Africa Rainfall in July from the Averages of Observations 1885–94\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, present one of the earliest systematic visual analyses of South Africa’s seasonal rainfall patterns based on late 19th-century meteorological records. The December map represents the austral summer wet season, showing high precipitation across the eastern escarpment, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Transvaal plateau — regions influenced by Indian Ocean moisture and convective summer storms — while the western interior and coastal areas around the Cape remain relatively dry. In contrast, the July map depicts the southern winter rainfall regime, with pronounced precipitation confined to the southwestern Cape, reflecting the influence of mid-latitude westerly systems, while the rest of the subcontinent experiences widespread dryness. Together, these two maps capture the bimodal climatic structure of South Africa: a summer-rainfall interior and a winter-rainfall southwestern corner. Compiled from averaged observations between 1885 and 1894, Buchan’s work exemplifies the emerging discipline of scientific climatology within the British Empire, transforming scattered colonial weather data into an empirical depiction of Africa’s regional climate zones and laying foundations for future meteorological and agricultural studies.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;\"\u003eThis map is a reproduction of a historical map that is now in the public domain. It has been \u003cspan style=\"color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext; background: white;\"\u003eselected for its aesthetic appeal and historical interest\u003c\/span\u003e and carefully restored and reproduced to preserve its original detail and character.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eThere may be marks and fold lines visible which add to the authentic look.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eThe map is printed on 230gsm heavyweight coated paper with a matte finish.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eMost old maps were printed on uncoated rag or wood pulp papers and therefore a matte finish best represents the original map.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Africa Map Art","offers":[{"title":"46 x 59cm","offer_id":47533518422238,"sku":null,"price":490.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0738\/9403\/5678\/files\/20250912_1894_Geological_Old_Maps_plain_square_backgrounds_72ppi.png?v=1757772030"},{"product_id":"1896-geological-map-of-africa-south-of-the-zambezi-by-fpt-struben-print","title":"1896 Geological Map of Africa south of the Zambezi by FPT Struben","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: normal; background: white;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;\"\u003eThe 1896\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eGeological Sketch Map of Africa South of the Zambesi\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, compiled by Francis Peter Todd Struben, represents one of the earliest broad geological overviews of the southern African subcontinent. Extending from the Cape to the Zambezi River, the map illustrates the main geological formations — granitic, sedimentary, volcanic, and auriferous strata — using colour-coded lithography to show their distribution across the Cape Colony, Natal, the Boer Republics, Bechuanaland, Rhodesia, and Portuguese East Africa. As a “sketch map,” it synthesised fragmentary geological knowledge gathered from mining, prospecting, and early surveys at a time when systematic mapping was still in its infancy. Struben, a pioneer prospector and the first President of the Geological Society of South Africa (1895), produced the map amid the transformative years of the Mineral Revolution, when discoveries of gold on the Witwatersrand and diamonds at Kimberley made geology central to the region’s economy. Reflecting both scientific ambition and imperial utility, Struben’s 1896 map provided an indispensable reference for explorers, investors, and administrators, marking a crucial step toward the formal geological surveys that would follow in the 20th century.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;\"\u003eThis map is a reproduction of a historical map that is now in the public domain. It has been \u003cspan style=\"color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext; background: white;\"\u003eselected for its aesthetic appeal and historical interest\u003c\/span\u003e and carefully restored and reproduced to preserve its original detail and character.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eThere may be marks and fold lines visible which add to the authentic look.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eThe map is printed on 230gsm heavyweight coated paper with a matte finish.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eMost old maps were printed on uncoated rag or wood pulp papers and therefore a matte finish best represents the original map. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Africa Map Art","offers":[{"title":"55 x 69cm","offer_id":47533518618846,"sku":null,"price":790.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0738\/9403\/5678\/files\/20250912_1896_Geological_Old_Maps_plain_square_backgrounds_72ppi.png?v=1757772029"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0738\/9403\/5678\/collections\/20250906_Geological_Old_Map_Background_squares.png?v=1757229335","url":"https:\/\/www.africamapart.co.za\/collections\/old-geological-and-natural-maps.oembed","provider":"Africa Map Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}