Compte-Rendu: Atlas des départements français d'outre-mer. IV : La Guyane

Summary

This is an academic review of the fourth volume of the Atlas of French Overseas Departments, dedicated to French Guiana. Published in 1979 by the CNRS Center for Tropical Geography and ORSTOM, the atlas comprises 88 pages and 36 color maps. The review notes that this volume concludes the series, as Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Mayotte did not become overseas departments. Compared to previous volumes, the Guiana atlas is distinctive in its collaborative production and in its subject: despite its vast area, Guiana is sparsely populated and economically underdeveloped. The atlas provides a comprehensive description of Guiana's persistent development failures, but the reviewer argues that it does not definitively explain them, unlike Jean Hurault's 1972 work, because semi-official publications avoid critical questions such as the absence of a local entrepreneurial class. Citing historical archives, the review suggests that Guiana once had economic potential, but lack of local initiative was a significant factor in its negative outcomes.