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Description

This mammoth sixteen-sheet 1:50,000 map of Cyprus, revised and printed by the 42 Survey Engineer Regiment in the late 1950s to 1960, offers a comprehensive and detailed representation of the island during the mid-20th century. The map was produced in a batch of 8,000, reflecting its significance and utility during a period of geopolitical change in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The map is distinguished by its extensive use of conventional signs, providing a detailed depiction of the island's topography and infrastructure. It includes roads of varying types and widths, contours, banks, densely and sparsely wooded areas, wells, springs, vineyards, tanks, trig-points, marshes, footpaths, air motors, churches, district boundaries, flood banks, mosques, forest boundaries, mills, Christian and Moslem cemeteries, telegraph lines, lime kilns, ruins, sheepfolds, quarries, bridges, culverts, and police stations. The inclusion of such a wide range of features attests to the map's comprehensive nature and its utility as a tool for understanding the island's geography and infrastructure.

The map was created during a period of significant change in Cyprus. The mid-1950s to early 1960s was a time of increasing tension between the Greek and Turkish communities on the island, culminating in the island's independence in 1960. The map, therefore, serves as a historical document of the island's geography during this critical period.

The map's creation was based on maps at a scale of 1:31,680 supplied by the Cyprus Department of Land Registration and Survey. Information for wooded areas was also provided by this department, attesting to the collaborative nature of the map's creation and the accuracy of its content. As such, the map represents a significant contribution to the cartographic history of Cyprus and a valuable resource for understanding the island's mid-20th-century geography.

Included is an ephemeral geographical gazetteer intended to accompany this set. The introduction to the gazetteer notes: "This Gazetteer is compiled from the followi9ng maps of the 1: 50 000 series which cover the territory of CYPRUS: . . ." All the maps noted are dated 1942.

Condition Description
Sixteen sheets, unjoined. Sheets folded, some with wear at folds. Sheet 5 particularly worn, with tape repairs and attendant staining, as illustrated. Some interesting thematic manuscript annotations scattered throughout. The gazetteer might be lacking its front cover.