Petrol Company Road Maps from Algeria

Algeria differs from its Maghreb neighbours in that it was officially an integral part of France from 1848 to 1962, although from 1954 suffered a bloody war of independence. This led to a much stronger form of nationalism, and a lower participation by multinational companies in all sectors after independence. Algeria's discovery of large gas and oil reserves in the 1950s and economic dependence on energy exports has also contributed to a strong desire to keep assets under state control: the oil industry was nationalised in 1971 and the state company Sonatrach remains the monopoly supplier of fuel.

Maps

All known petrol company maps relate to period before final independence from France.

The very first was an edition created by the (French) Service Géographique de l'Armée, carrying a graphic six panel advert for Shell (SA des Pétroles JUPITER) on the reverse (illustrated on the Shell 1920-45 page), as well as advertising from other companies. However Shell's sponsorship extended to giving away copies of the maps to the few Algerian motorists, as they state OFFERT PAR "SHELL" in bold red letters above the map itself.

	Shell was a market leader across the Maghreb since the first filling stations were opened. This map from Foldex (France) SARL is dated 1938 and similar to those being sold by Shell's French operation at the time. It consisted of two sheets printed on thin paper, and glued and folded so as to open out into 10 folds. One sheet was dedicated to Algeria at 1:1,000,000; the other to Morocco (at a smaller scale) and Tunisia. Each sheet had inset maps, described as "cartouches", and showing the areas around the four main cities of Algiers, Oran, Casablanca, Rabat and Tunis (but not Tangiers) at a larger scale - 1:300,000 for Algeria, but 1:500,000 elsewhere. Although printed in France (and the copy shown here was sold in Britain for 5/-), the three Shell companies in the region were credited with having edited the map, to prove local knowledge.	Image of a Shell pump in the desert at Arak, courtesy Richard Horwitz
Shell also sponsored a 1938 guide book in French from Shell Algeria with a plain red cover, containing about 450 pages of maps of cities and airports and routes, plus a pasted in Shell photo-map of the region. Photos include scenic shots and some interesting Shell desert pumps (above right).

After the war Shell continued to sell maps created for it by Foldex, as in this 1957 map of Algeria and Tunisia. Algeria was at a slightly smaller scale 1:900,000 (vs 1:750,000), and there were larger scale inserts of the most populous region around each capital city. Two years later Shell also offered a booklet in French of Algiers, with detailed city maps on 28 pages, Shell adverts and station locations. Images courtesy Richard Horwitz

Esso was a significant player in the Algerian market prior to its nationalisation. The maps shown here date from 1948 (left) and 1956 respectively. The earlier map was locally printed, and credited to Editions Esso Alger, with cover photos of Oran and Constantine. It was at a scale of 1:1,500,000 and had insets maps of the Algiers environs and Sahara routes. The later map was printed in France by Blondel la Rougery, to designs created by General Drafting Co. One side had a map of the country at 1:1,800,000 with two insets for each Algiers and Oran to show both the town and environs. The reverse showed the three Maghreb countries at 1:4,000,000, including thumbnail sketches of main points of interest on the map. Motorists planning a journey in North Africa were advised to write to the Esso Touring Service in Paris for route information. The front cover shows a dry river bed, described as Bou Saada, La Rivière. 1948 Image courtesy Jon Roma

BP and Total were also active in the Algerian market, with both entering soon after the Second World War, and Total through acquiring the Société Algéienne des Pétroles Mory. The BP map shown here is based on a Michelin edition and covers both Algeria and Tunisia. No maps are known from Total, although they probably exist. BP image courtesy Jon Roma

This photograph of a Total station was probably taken in Southern Algeria in the early 1960s. Image courtesy of Total.

This booklet was published in 1961 by Alger-Guide and was the 37th edition of its guide to the city and surrounding area. Its 132 pages included addresses for many services and businesses, including lists of the Shell, Esso and Mobil service stations in the city and Department of Algiers. The three brands had 35, 49 and 45 outlets respectively. It contained two fold out maps, printed on thin paper and carrying numerous adverts (but not for petrol) - one a street plan of the city, and the other showing the environs at 1:200,000.

Shell produced a basic map of the main Sahara routes in 1959, which was updated in 1960 and 1961 (the edition shown here). It showed places in the desert where Shell or other fuels could be bought on a very simple map, against a background of cave paintings.

It is probable that the other international petrol companies, including Mobil/Mobilgas and Total (and possibly earlier CIP and Mory) would have issued maps. Sonatrach may also have published maps after nationalisation. If you have a map from one of these companies, or could send me a scan of such a map, or - better still - the map itself, then please send me an e-mail!

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Text and layout © Ian Byrne, 2006