Review: Atlas Nacional de Cuba

Summary

This review examines the Atlas Nacional de Cuba (1970), a collaborative publication by the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the USSR Academy of Sciences, issued for the tenth anniversary of the Revolution. As Cuba's first scientific atlas, it integrates data from forty institutions, offering a comprehensive overview of the island's natural conditions, resources, and socio-economic transformations during the mid-to-late 1960s. The atlas emphasizes physical geography—including geology, geomorphology, climate, soils, vegetation, and marine environments—while also featuring socio-economic maps on population, land use, industry, trade, education, and public health, highlighting notable post-revolutionary progress. Despite gaps in regional planning, urbanization, and migration, the atlas serves as a vital knowledge base for national development and future research.