Gérard Brasseur · 1984
Gérard Brasseur reviews the Atlas de la Guadeloupe, published by the CNRS in 1982, praising its cartographic and typographic quality and wealth of information. Primarily geographical, the atlas also offers historical material through accompanying texts, a reproduction of a 1759 map, and a detailed chronology, addressing colonization, landownership, housing, and agriculture. Brasseur notes insufficient coverage of political parties, trade unions, elections, and relations with metropolitan France, and considers the volume likely to retain its usefulness for historical study.
Louis Papy · 1984
Louis Papy reviews the 1982 Atlas de la Guadeloupe, the Guadeloupe volume of the Atlas des départements français d’Outre-Mer collection, whose publication completed the series. He describes Guy Lasserre’s role in conceiving, securing funding for and overseeing the collection, intended to support regional planning and improve living standards. Produced with several research and university institutions, the atlas involved 38 contributors and 16 cartographic staff, using Lasserre’s thesis as a foundational reference. Papy surveys its treatment of volcanic and limestone landforms, seasonal atmospheric circulation, cyclones, vegetation and soils, praising the incorporation of recent research. Historical and demographic plates trace settlement, slavery, migration, population growth and declining fertility. A substantial part of the review examines landholding and agricultural landscapes, mapped from cadastral records and aerial photographs, alongside the changing sugar and banana industries, livestock, crop diversification, forestry and fishing. It also discusses limited industrial development, tourism, the contrasting growth of Pointe-à-Pitre and Basse-Terre, and persistent unemployment despite expansion of the service sector. Energy, transport, administrative, health, water and educational infrastructure receive attention, including uneven provision and continuing deficiencies. The final island survey covers La Désirade, Les Saintes, Saint-Barthélemy and French Saint-Martin, with observations on livelihoods, migration and tourism’s social and ecological pressures. Papy acknowledges repetition across contributions but considers it a minor drawback; he praises the atlas’s richness, cartographic quality and value as a working reference.
François Doumenge · 1985
This article reviews the Atlas of Guadeloupe, produced by the C.E.G.E.T. team in Bordeaux. This atlas, presented in 36 plates with extensive scientific commentary, comprehensively maps the geographical complexity of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, including its dispersed island structure and northern territories such as Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin. As the final work in a series, it synthesizes contributions from 38 co-authors and reflects the legacy of tropical geography established by scholars like Guy Lasserre. The atlas not only highlights the unique physical and human environments of the islands but also serves as a crucial scientific tool for more effective regional development, standing as a distinguished achievement of the French school of tropical geography.
