French Guiana法属圭亚那
Curatorial Note
AI-curated draftThe national atlas tradition of French Guiana, though modest in scale, reflects the territory's unique status as a French overseas department. The first volume, published in 1979 as part of the Atlas des départements français d'outre-mer series, was a collaborative effort by CNRS/ORSTOM and CEGET. This atlas, the fourth in the series, focused on the physical and human geography of the region, setting a precedent for systematic cartographic documentation. The second, the Atlas illustré de la Guyane (2001), was produced by the Laboratoire de Cartographie de la Guyane and the Institut d'Enseignement Superieur de Guyane, marking a shift toward local institutional involvement. These atlases are characterized by their thematic breadth, covering topics from natural resources to demographic patterns, and their bilingual (French and English) accessibility. While limited in number, they serve as essential references for understanding the territory's development and have influenced subsequent regional planning and educational materials. Their legacy lies in establishing a cartographic baseline for a region often overlooked in national narratives, providing both scholarly and practical value.
The Shelves
Contemporary and Later Comment
- Review1982Compte-Rendu: Atlas de la Guyane
Rouleau Bernard
This article reviews the Atlas of French Guiana, the fourth in the series of atlases of French overseas departments, and the third to be published after those of Réunion and Martinique. Directed by Guy Lasserre, the atlas comprises 36 color plates and accompanying explanatory texts, involving more than fifty researchers. About half of the plates are devoted to the natural environment, while the others cover population, land use, resources, and infrastructure. The author acknowledges the atlas's comprehensive content and high cartographic quality, while noting some shortcomings in data presentation, and concludes that it is the most complete scientific synthesis on French Guiana to date.
- Review1988Compte-Rendu: Atlas des départements français d'outre-mer. IV : La Guyane
Nardin Jean-Claude
This review assesses the fourth volume of the Atlas des départements français d'outremer, devoted to French Guiana, published in 1979 by CNRS/ORSTOM and CEGET. The reviewer situates the atlas in the series and stresses the originality of its joint scientific direction and the territory's paradox of vast size with extreme underpopulation and underdevelopment. He regards the atlas as a magnificent, encyclopedic contribution that reflects the high level of French geographical and historical research on Guiana, even though it does not fully explain the recurring pattern of regional failure as explicitly as earlier work by Hurault. He also notes three omissions or questions: the official designation of the territory, the recent paid border agreement with Suriname, and the absence of Mont Bellevue de l'Inini, the highest point, from the relief map. Overall, the review praises the atlas's scholarly and cartographic value while calling for corrections in future editions.
From the Physical Collection
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