Recent evolutionary history of the cluster system of the Large Magellanic Cloud

Using estimates of the magnitudes of the brightest stars of star clusters of the LMC, we have established the distribution of clusters as a function of age over the entire face of the Cloud. Ages were estimated for the 509 youngest clusters, allowing exploration of the spatial pattern of cluster formation at various times in the recent history of the galaxy. The average rate of formation of clusters is 1 per 3 x 10 yr.