Crossing Borders: Cartographic and Military Operations and the International Borders in the Libyan Desert before WW II

Abstract

In the early 20th century the Libyan Desert in the Eastern Sahara was one of the largest blank spots on the modern world map. The harsh geographic conditions and the featureless terrain made traditional European surveys and cartographic representation difficult. Expedition maps remained important sources for cartographic and military intelligence after WW I, when the international borders were demarcated by colonial powers. This article examines the Italian mapping of the remote Kufra region in the 1930s in connection with contemporary desert expeditions. The unknown region was divided by the invisible international border. In search of the legendary Zerzura the real ‘English patient’ and companion explorers crossed that border. The topographic maps compiled by the Italian military and colonial authorities effectively supported imperialistic territorial claims and the Libyan-Sudanese border was changed in 1934. The topographic survey mission to the Uweinat Mountain remained an exception however, and the generally unreliable and inaccurate topographic maps of the region were not revised until WW II.