The Guadeloupean Archipelago as an Atlas

Summary

This review highlights the completion of the exhaustive cartographic coverage of the French Overseas Departments through the publication of the Atlas of Guadeloupe by the C.E.G.E.T. in Bordeaux. As the final volume in a series following the atlases of Réunion and Martinique, this work presented exceptional challenges due to the geographical dispersion of the Guadeloupe archipelago, which encompasses not only the main island complex but also outlying territories such as Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint-Martin. Benefiting from progressively refined cartographic techniques and mature conceptual frameworks, the atlas stands as the finest of the series. It also represents the crowning achievement of a monumental scientific cycle shaped by Guy Lasserre, whose earlier doctoral thesis focused on the archipelago. The atlas results from an intimate collaboration among C.E.G.E.T., the University of Bordeaux III, the Centre Universitaire Antilles-Guyane, and numerous other specialists, bringing together 38 co-authors. Drawing on rich and original documentation, it provides a true encyclopedic compendium of local situations. The work offers classic examples of tropical island characteristics in vegetation, pedology, land use, land tenure structures, and urbanization forms. Published under the auspices of the C.N.R.S. and O.R.S.T.O.M., the atlas constitutes a high-level scientific document that honours the French school of tropical geography, strongly influenced by Pierre Gourou and exemplified by Guy Lasserre. Moreover, it serves as an essential instrument for fostering more harmonious and effective regional development through an enhanced understanding of the complex physical, human, and economic environment of the insular region.