Caribbean Landscapes: An Interpretive Atlas

Caribbean Landscapes is an introduction to the cultural and physical diversity of the island Caribbean through the lens of geography, the discipline dedicated to understanding places and patterns on the earth s surface. The authors, geographers, from Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, combine published research and their own first-hand field experience to trace the evolution of Caribbean Landscapes for a broad audience. The atlas comprises two parts (natural landscapes and human landscapes), each subdivided into chapters about specific landscape elements: terrain, natural communities, natural hazards, agriculture and rural settlement, industry and tourism, political landscapes, and urban landscapes. Each chapter begins with a general essay, followed by individual pieces about particular places, such as the Vuelta Abajo tobacco region of Cuba, the East Indian villages of Trinidad, Montserrat s Soufrière volcano, downtown Kingston, and the Haitian/Dominican border in Hispaniola. The authors use diverse media to capture the diversity of Caribbean geography, including satellite imagery, astronaut photos, ground photos, maps and interpretive essays. The geographic coverage, drawing on literature in French, Spanish and English and the authors field research in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Caribbean Landscapes will be interest to students, libraries and anyone who wishes to understand how Caribbean land and life took shape.