Los mapas de Paisajes del Atlas Nacional de Cuba LX Aniversario

Summary

This paper explains the fundamental ideas behind the compilation of three maps in the "Landscape" section of the National Atlas of Cuba (Commemorative Edition for the 60th Anniversary of the Revolution, published in 2019). All three maps are at a scale of 1:1,000,000: the anthropogenic natural landscape map, the cultural landscape map, and the geographical regionalization map. Rather than separately characterizing natural, economic, social, and cultural elements, the authors emphasize their systematic interconnections within spatial patterns, as well as the individuality and uniqueness expressed through these patterns. The conceptual framework treats landscape as a conceptual system, adopting Carl Sauer's 1925 dichotomy of natural landscape/cultural landscape: culture is the agent, the natural area is the medium, and the cultural landscape is the result. The natural landscape is a whole composed of interconnected natural elements arranged in hierarchical spatial forms; the anthropogenic natural landscape results from the direct or indirect, conscious modification of natural structures and functions by humans; and the cultural landscape is the sensory, emotional, symbolic, and material image of a territory, encompassing visual landscape, perceived landscape, and valued landscape. Thus, landscape is a concrete manifestation of the Earth system, the human ecosystem, and geographic space, and also reflects residents' cognition and evaluation of their environment. The map compilation is based on the detailed description and cartographic representation of Cuba's regional and micro-regional landscape structures in the unpublished manuscript "Geographic Regions and Landscapes of Cuba." Located in the Caribbean and Central America, Cuba serves as a natural observatory for regional analysis, with its landscapes retaining traces of natural and historical change; under colonial, neocolonial, and nation-state projects, sugarcane plantations sought to promote spatial homogenization, and today Cuba faces the challenge of reconstructing regional and local identities. The geographical regionalization divides Cuba into 19 types of geographic regions, ranging from submarine platform plains and karstic swamp plains to carbonate, serpentinite, metamorphic, and volcanic mountain terrains, with an accompanying table listing numerous regional and local units. The authors conclude that the perception, understanding, and awareness of the landscapes and regions in which residents live should strengthen the connection between people and space, landscape, environment, and territory; culture, as a weapon for the rationale of human existence, can only be consolidated when people continually expand their knowledge and perception of their living space. Therefore, these landscape maps not only enhance understanding of Cuban geography but also contribute to the construction of regional and local identities, providing support for the cultural foundation of territorial management.