Review: Atlas d'Haïti

Summary

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.