Martinique马提尼克
Curatorial Note
AI-curated draftMartinique, an overseas department of France, developed its national atlas tradition within the framework of French departmental atlases. The sole atlas in this collection, *Atlas of French Overseas Departments, 2. Martinique* (1977), was produced by the CNRS Centre for Tropical Geography in collaboration with university and local partners. This work exemplifies a collaborative editorial model, integrating geographic, demographic, and economic data to portray the island's unique tropical environment and its socio-economic structures. As part of a broader series on French overseas departments, this atlas not only served as a scientific reference but also as a tool for regional planning and public awareness. Its publication marked a significant step in documenting Martinique's territory at a time when such comprehensive cartographic resources were rare. The atlas remains a valuable historical record, offering insights into the island's landscape and development in the late 20th century, and it continues to inform contemporary studies on Caribbean geography and French overseas territories.
The Shelves
This is the first volume of the national atlas tradition in our collection.
Contemporary and Later Comment
- Review1977Review: Atlas of the French Overseas Departments. 2. Martinique
Brasseur, Gérard
The Atlas of Martinique, the second volume after that of Réunion, is an equally successful achievement, thanks to its rigorously comparable presentation and the high-quality information assembled by a team of thirty highly qualified researchers with direct expertise on the subject. This atlas is an indispensable tool for anyone interested in the island. It features a chronological map with a wealth of place names — although, regrettably, still lacking an index — and an accurate description of the natural environment, essential for any human explanation. While the atlas strives to depict the most current situation, the historical dimension is not forgotten. A substantial introductory notice by L. Elisabeth provides insight into the past, explaining the functioning of institutions, the components and fluctuations of population settlement, and offering very interesting details on illegitimacy (in terms of filiation) and social struggles up to the present day. One can only regret that, unlike the Réunion atlas, historical cartography is not expressed beyond a single map from 1734. This map is splendid and highly evocative, with its yellowed paper background, sailboats, accentuated shoreline strokes, shaded relief, depiction of volcanoes, and a very rich toponymy, from which, as the commentator notes, few statistical lessons can unfortunately be drawn. Historical data with quantitative precision and necessary caveats are also found in several other notices: population with its spatio-temporal components and distribution in the countryside inherited from the plantation economy, land tenure structures, and the economy of sugar cane and a few other crops. A document to recommend, a collection to follow.
- Article1978L'atlas de la Martinique
Bernard Rouleau
This article reviews the Atlas of Martinique, part of the French overseas department atlas series, produced by the CNRS Centre for Tropical Geography with university and local partners. The atlas comprises 37 large color maps accompanied by explanatory texts, statistical tables, charts, and thematic insets. It covers population density, landscapes, land tenure, agricultural equipment, and major crops such as sugarcane and bananas. The cartography, executed by the National Geographic Institute, is praised for its clarity and high quality, offering a rich graphic documentation of the island's geographical and economic issues.
From the Physical Collection
Photographs are being prepared for this hall.