Hervé Théry · 1987
Hervé Théry reviews the Atlas d'Haïti, published by CEGET-CNRS in 1985, praising its abundant information, well-crafted maps and precise explanatory texts as a lasting reference and the national atlas Haiti had lacked. He nevertheless questions whether it achieves its stated ambition to explain the spatial dimensions of national reality. Its conventional thematic structure separates connected material, including food-production systems, rural development and landforms. Théry suggests that this arrangement facilitated work among 26 contributors granted scientific freedom and made the atlas accessible to officials, but weakened its synthesis of regional divisions, inequalities and development problems. He regrets that coordinator Christian Girault did not extend the approach of Girault's coffee-trade thesis, which traced commodity routes, enrichment and power networks. Théry calls for maps connecting peasant poverty with erosion, population pressure, migration and development interventions, alongside maps of economic, political and religious control networks, to strengthen the atlas's analysis of development.
Mike Morrisssey · 1987
This is an academic review of the Atlas d'Haïti (1985), published by the Centre d'Étude de Géographie Tropicale (CNRS) and the Université de Bordeaux 3, France. The review notes that Haiti is the third Caribbean country to publish a national atlas, following Cuba (1970) and Puerto Rico (1984). Compiled by a French team with contributions from 26 specialist authors, the atlas contains 30 chapters covering Haiti's geographical location, historical development, physical geography, population, agriculture, economy, and culture. The review highly praises the cartographic quality and use of color, describing the maps as flawless and impeccable in concept and design, and notes that they present up-to-date data unavailable elsewhere. It also identifies weaknesses, including the subpar quality of black-and-white photographs that tend to focus on poverty, and the absence of page numbers due to the loose-leaf binding, which limits the index to chapter headings only. Overall, the review regards the atlas as a high-quality national publication.
