National Atlas of Cuba: In Commemoration of the Tenth Anniversary of the Revolution
Национальный атлас Кубы: В ознаменование десятой годовщины революции
Cuba · Главное управление геодезии и картографии при Совете Министров СССР · 1970
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Geographical 'passport' of the Republic of Cuba: On the publication of the new National Atlas
Барыкина, В. В.; Бердников, В. В.; Логинова, Л. В.; Лютый, А. А.; Царских, Р. С.; Финько, Е. А. · 1989
The New National Atlas of Cuba, released on the thirtieth anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, represents a major scientific achievement in geography and cartography. Developed under the leadership of the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba and the Cuban Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, it involved over 100 national institutions and specialists from the USSR, the GDR, and Mexico. The atlas serves as a comprehensive geographical encyclopedia, spanning 24 sections with 627 maps, 665 graphic elements, and 61 color photographs across 226 large-format pages. It provides an integrated portrayal of Cuba’s natural environment, resources, socio-economic structure, and cultural development. Physical geography sections cover geology, relief, climate, water and marine resources, soils, vegetation, fauna, and landscapes, featuring innovative maps on anthropogenic landscape changes and geochemical properties. Socio-economic themes include population and settlements, social infrastructure, agriculture, the sugar industry, manufacturing, construction, transport, communications, and foreign trade. The atlas also includes pioneering sections on the environment and revolutionary history, presenting environmental impact assessments and protected areas. By combining detailed thematic mapping at multiple scales with high cartographic design, the work offers a holistic view of Cuba’s territory and its dynamic transformations, serving as both an essential scientific reference and a testament to international collaboration in geographic research.
National Atlas of Cuba: Design, Implementation, Experience
Леонтьев, Н. Ф.; Машбиц, Я. Г. · 1971
The National Atlas of Cuba, published in 1970, was the first comprehensive cartographic work of its kind in Latin America, produced jointly by the Institutes of Geography of the Cuban and Soviet Academies of Sciences. This paper outlines its conception, content, and the experience gained during its preparation. The atlas comprises about 170 maps organized into eight thematic series: introductory, natural conditions and resources, agriculture, industry, transport and external economic links, population, health care, education and culture, and history. It synthesizes extensive data from collaborative field surveys and existing sources, presenting new scientific findings on geology, geomorphology, climate, soils, oceanography, and economic activities. Particular emphasis is placed on applied maps for resource assessment, agricultural planning, and infrastructure development. Social and political maps highlight the achievements of the Cuban Revolution in education, public health, and national sovereignty. Drawing on this project, the authors argue that a true national atlas is defined not by thematic breadth alone but by its designated function as a tool for national development planning, rational resource use, and the deployment of productive forces. The concept requires flexibility in structure and content to reflect each country’s unique natural and socio-economic conditions and the uneven state of territorial knowledge. The Cuban Atlas exemplifies this approach, demonstrating the importance of national atlases for both practical governance and the advancement of geographical science, particularly in developing regions.
Compilation of typological maps based on materials from national atlases (on the example of the National Atlas of Cuba)
Правоторова, Г. А. · 1976
This paper examines the potential of national complex atlases as a foundation for subsequent thematic and typological cartography, using the development of a map of “Agricultural Production Types of Land” for the Matanzas Province of Cuba as a case study. The primary data source is the National Atlas of Cuba (1970), created under USSR–Cuba scientific cooperation. The method involved a multi-stage analysis and synthesis of the atlas’s natural and socio-economic maps. Working tracings were first compiled from geomorphological, soil, and hydrogeological maps to delineate relief types, karst distribution, predominant soil series, and groundwater characteristics. In parallel, economic maps of agriculture, the sugar industry, transport, and water management were analyzed to identify leading agricultural branches, crop area distributions, sugar central locations, and melioration prospects. By sequentially overlaying all derived tracings and cross-referencing natural potential with economic trends, a comprehensive typological map at 1:750,000 scale was produced. The resulting map identifies five major agricultural production types—sugar cane; fruits, root crops, and vegetables; fiber crops; rice; and livestock—further subdivided into thirteen subtypes. The detailed legend integrates for each subtype the characteristic relief, karst forms, groundwater availability and quality, genetic soil groups, and key agronomic properties. The map also highlights lands currently unused but suitable for future agricultural development with melioration. The study demonstrates that systematic exploitation of national atlas materials enables scientifically grounded typological mapping, offering valuable forecasts for optimizing land use and advancing system-structural approaches in geography. The approach is particularly relevant for tropical regions, where combining multi-thematic atlas data reveals fine-scale spatial patterns of agricultural suitability and production structure.
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