Los mapas de paisajes del Atlas Nacional de Cuba LX Aniversario

Summary

This paper aims to present the fundamental ideas that underpinned the elaboration of the three maps comprising the 'Landscapes' section of the National Atlas of Cuba LX Anniversary, published in 2019. The landscape theme is part of the 'Nature Characterization' section, presenting the following maps of Cuba: anthropo-natural landscape, cultural landscape, and geographic regionalization, all at a scale of 1:1,000,000. The authors intend to highlight not only the characteristics of natural, economic, social, and cultural components but also their systemic interrelationship, manifested in spatial patterns with traits of individuality and singularity. The paper adopts Carl Sauer's 1925 concept of the natural/cultural landscape binomial, viewing landscape as a system of concepts—the form adopted by geographic facts on the Earth's surface, arising from the sensitive relationship and sensory perception of the territory. Based on detailed description and mapping of the regional and micro-regional structure of Cuban landscapes, along with bibliographic analysis, the article proposes a theoretical-methodological framework for landscape mapping. Cuba is presented as a true observatory for analyzing and reflecting on how to orient the use of its spaces from a regional vision, bearing marks of nature and traces of various historical periods. The maps ultimately offer three fundamental perspectives: the holistic vision, establishing the spatial matrix of nature from totality, understanding the synthetic and dialectical combination of natural components in interrelation with human actions (productive and affective-symbolic); the concrete empirical vision, based on the identification, classification, characterization, and cartography of specific spatial units determined in field conditions; and the scalar vision, systematizing results according to spatial organization responding to different levels (global, regional, local), expressed in the hierarchy of selected taxonomic units. Future work should expand detailed-scale mapping and classification nationwide and develop research on the structure, functioning, dynamics, and development of natural complexes to scientifically regulate resource exploitation and transformation of Cuban nature.