Background, Conception, and Development of the 'New National Atlas of Cuba'

Summary

The New National Atlas of Cuba represents a major advance in the geography and cartography of Cuba. The country's own socioeconomic development rendered the first National Atlas of Cuba, published in 1970, obsolete. Consequently, in 1983 the process of creating a new edition began. With the work and participation of almost 150 institutions and 1,500 specialists, and under the direction of the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba and the Cuban Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, the new edition was published in January 1989. The atlas consists of 210 map sheets and text divided into 18 thematic sections. The atlas format measures 59 X 52 cm and presents the entire country at cartographic scales between 1:1,000,000 and 1:4,000,000. The fruits of the atlas are already appreciated not only in its practical usefulness, but also in the Geographic Information System (GIS-Cuba) and in other new works arising from this experience.