Geographical “passport” of the Republic of Cuba. On the publication of the new national atlas

Summary

The article reviews the New National Atlas of Cuba, published in 1989, and presents it as a major achievement of Cuban geography and cartography marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. Prepared under the leadership of the Institute of Geography of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the Cuban Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, the atlas drew on the participation of more than one hundred Cuban institutions and specialists from the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, and Mexico. It also built upon the experience of Cuba’s first national atlas, issued in 1970, and upon the professional training of Cuban researchers abroad. Comprising twenty-four thematic sections, 627 maps, 665 diagrams, profiles, and other graphics, sixty-one color photographs, and extensive reference texts, the volume functions as a comprehensive geographical encyclopedia of the country. It systematically documents Cuba’s natural environment, resources, population, settlement, economy, society, culture, history, and revolutionary development. The review highlights the atlas’s treatment of geophysics, tectonics, seismicity, geology, landforms, climate, water resources, surrounding seas, land use, urban systems, industrial organization, trade, and internal and interregional economic relations. Many maps combine scientific synthesis with practical applications, including hazard assessment, agricultural evaluation, resource management, infrastructure planning, and long-term socioeconomic policy. Particularly innovative is the environmental section, which classifies geosystems at several taxonomic levels, distinguishes anthropogenic, agricultural, forest, and relatively natural landscapes, and maps pollution sources, vulnerable environmental components, ecological stability, self-restoration capacity, and conservation measures. Its maps of protected areas and natural and cultural monuments further connect environmental management with heritage preservation. The final section, devoted to history and revolution, uses maps, diagrams, illustrations, and documentary chronologies to reconstruct Indigenous settlement and migration, colonization, slavery and piracy, struggles for independence, the revolutionary movement, nationalization, agrarian reform, literacy campaigns, political organization, resistance to foreign aggression, and Cuba’s international relations. According to the author, the atlas demonstrates both the maturity of Cuban geographical science and the rapid development of its observational networks, statistical resources, technical infrastructure, and professional personnel. Methodologically, it advances typological and synthetic mapping, matrix legends, multiscale representation, and nationally distinctive visual design. The atlas can therefore serve as an analytical and reference foundation for scientific research, regional economics, national planning, education, and the preparation of smaller-scale maps and atlases. Beyond these technical functions, it acts as a cultural ambassador that communicates Cuba’s achievements and identity abroad, supports international cooperation, and strengthens the country’s standing. The article concludes that the work ranks among the exemplary national atlases of its era and constitutes a significant contribution to world culture.