Atlas of Haiti
Atlas d'Haïti
Haiti · Centre d'études de géographie tropicale (C.N.R.S.) et Université de Bordeaux 3 · 1985
Related Reviews & Articles
Readings: Atlas of Haiti
Théry, Hervé · 1987
This review assesses the Atlas d'Haïti published by CEGET, an ambitious national atlas produced primarily by a French team given Haiti's resource constraints. The atlas is praised for its exhaustive compilation of data, high cartographic quality, and detailed explanatory notes, positioning it as an indispensable long-term reference. However, the review argues that the work ultimately falls short of its own stated goal—to offer a clear synthetic image of Haitian space, its specificities, and the acute challenges of this least-developed country. The critique points to the overly classical compartmentalized structure (history, physical data, population, economic sectors, etc.), which leads to fragmentation: crucial links, such as between food-crop systems and rural development or geomorphology, are lost across scattered plates. While the layout facilitated work among 26 authors and provides a useful mine of information, it lacks the integrative demonstration of cartographic analysis. The reviewer regrets that the atlas did not emulate Christian Girault’s thesis approach—tracing the coffee commodity chain to reveal how networks of wealth and power structure society and space. Missing are maps of such networks, the impasse of the peasantry combining erosion, overpopulation and emigration, or the economic/political/religious control networks. Ultimately, the atlas remains an inventory rather than a powerful spatial analysis of development problems, yielding an impression of dissatisfaction despite its considerable scholarship. The conclusion calls for a more problem-driven, synthetic cartographic demonstration that would fully correspond to the ambition of researching the spatial dimension of national reality.
Review: Atlas of Haiti
Morrisssey, Mike · 1987
This review examines the Atlas d'Haïti (1985), the third comprehensive national atlas published in the Caribbean, following Cuba and Puerto Rico. Compiled by the Centre d'Etude de Géographie Tropicale with French financial support, directed by Christian Girault and involving 26 francophone specialists and Haitian institutions, the atlas is analyzed for its structure, content, and cartographic execution. The atlas comprises thirty chapters following a conventional thematic progression from physical geography and history to population, economy, and sociocultural services. Each chapter pairs a concise textual synthesis with a full-page color map and bibliography. Cartography is of the highest order: maps at a 1:1,000,000 scale are flawlessly designed, with detailed town plans and a remarkably clear Landsat satellite montage. While the maps constitute the core strength, the accompanying black-and-white photographs are criticized for uneven quality and an overemphasis on poverty, resulting in an unbalanced visual narrative. Designed with a loose-leaf binding to permit future chapter insertion, the atlas lacks page numbers and an index limited to chapter headings, somewhat reducing navigability. Overall, despite minor editorial shortcomings, the atlas stands as an important cartographic document due to its superb maps and up-to-date geographic information.
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