1952 Georges Lafosse Map of the Muslim World

This rare 1952 world map produced by Georges Lafosse shows the distribution of Islam throughout the Eastern Hemisphere. (Despite the title, the map does not include the Americas). Using colored dots, (each indicating a population of approximately 50,000) the map is able to differentiate between major sects: Sunni, Shiite, Kharijite, Alawites, Druze, Bahai'i and Ahmadiyya Muslims are all shown - of course, we realize that the Druze and Baha'I are not Muslims, but in this case we follow the conventions of the map. Holy sites for the Sunni and Shia are marked as are Muslim universities. An inset map focuses on the religious populations of Syria and Lebanon.

The map was produced by the Institut Géographique National for the French Direction de la documentation, the directorate tasked with the mission of informing government officials on issues related to economics, geopolitics, finance, culture, and foreign affairs. Many - such as this present map - focused specifically on issues pertinent to France's colonial interests. That these maps were not intended for public consumption is suggested by the notation 'Reproduction interdite' (reproduction forbidden) in the lower right.

Publication History and Census

This map was produced by the French Direction de la Documentation as part of a series of thematic maps produced for governmental use; as such they were not widely disseminated. We find OCLC listings for examples in just eleven institutional collections.