The most likely reason that the map seems sterile is that it seems to have no identifiable purpose. Is it for nagivation? Is it for illustration of a particular point? Is it a sidepiece for a geography text? It has lots of appropriate elements for an mid-century atlas image, but I just can't get a feel for the "why" of the map. Why are there no cities in the mountains? Why is it mostly a hypsographic (altitude) coloration with just a hint of shading? Why is the level of detail the same roughly everywhere? Why is there a single city in the corner?