Compilation of typological maps based on national atlas materials (on the example of the National Atlas of Cuba)

This study examines how national comprehensive atlases can serve as source materials for new typological thematic maps. Using the 1970 National Atlas of Cuba, it develops a 1:750,000 map of “Agricultural Production Types of Land” for Matanzas Province. The objective is to demonstrate the methodological and practical value of reusing an integrated national atlas and to identify spatial relationships among environmental conditions, agricultural specialization, and the potential for future land development. The workflow comprised selection and supplementary study of the territory, choice of an appropriate base map and scale, collection of additional sources, analysis and evaluation of atlas maps, construction of an expanded legend, and compilation of the final map. The authors jointly analyzed maps of geomorphology, karst, climate, surface runoff, groundwater, soils, and natural regionalization. These were compared with economic maps of agriculture, land use, the sugar industry, water management, transportation, mechanization, and labor supply, together with a 1:250,000 soil map, a topographic map, published studies, and municipal agricultural statistics. Several transparent working overlays were prepared to delineate relief and soil units, land suitable for cultivation, land unsuitable under existing reclamation technology, and areas characterized by particular agricultural branches. Sequential superposition and adjustment of these layers allowed economic development tendencies to be reconciled with the ecological requirements of crops. The analysis shows that, although Matanzas is generally intensively cultivated, its agricultural structure is strongly differentiated by terrain, karst development, soil fertility, groundwater quantity and mineralization, seasonal moisture deficits, and the extensive wetlands of the Zapata Peninsula. Five principal production types were identified: sugar cane; fruit, root and tuber crops, and vegetables; fiber crops; rice; and livestock. These were subdivided into thirteen production subtypes defined by combinations of leading and associated activities and by their environmental and agroproductive characteristics. Lands currently outside agricultural use were also separated into areas potentially reclaimable through drainage or irrigation and areas unsuitable for agricultural development. The resulting map supports forecasts for the expansion or intensification of sugar cane, citrus, rice, vegetables, fiber crops, and livestock. It also suggests that some land presently assigned to sugar cane, particularly one subtype with favorable natural conditions, may yield greater economic returns under citrus cultivation. Overall, the case confirms that integrated overlay, verification, and typological synthesis of natural and socioeconomic maps can transform a national atlas into a long-term, multipurpose instrument for land evaluation, agricultural planning, and regional development forecasting.