Nicholas John Spykman envisioned the Rimland theory of geopolitics in 1942 in his book ‘America’s Strategy in World Politics’. Later In 1944, his book titled ‘The Geography of Peace’ was published, posthumously. This book provides a more elaborate description of Spykman’s Rimland Theory. Spykman’s work emerged as a critique of Mackinder’s Heartland Theory which envisages … Read more
Sir Halford Mackinder was a pioneer political geographer who formulated Heartland Theory to demonstrate the importance of strategic location of powerful nations in determining balance of global power. Mackinder’s heartland theory was first published in 1919 in a book titled ‘Democratic Ideals and Reality’ and modified it slightly in 1943. However, the basic idea of … Read more
Soil refers to the top layer of the continental crust which supports the growth of plants, trees and crops. This layer is formed by weathering of larger rocks into finer fragments. India has a diverse range of climatic conditions and geological history. These two factors lead to formation of different types of soil in India. … Read more
Graph theory is a brand of mathematics concerned with how networks can be encoded and their properties measured. Please note that the purpose hovers over the topology representation, not the network’s underlying geography. Graph theory in transport geography is an adoption of mathematical techniques to measure and identify the various characteristics of transport network for … Read more
James E. Vance propounded the model of transport development based on the historical propagation of mercantilism in his book The Merchant’s World: The Geography of Wholesaling (1970). Vance model of transport originated as a reaction to Christaller’s Central Place Theory which aims to explain pattern of settlements and transport in a universally stagnant manner. This … Read more
Ideal-Typical Sequence Model of Transport Development is an abstract explanation of sequence of various stages of development of transport network in underdeveloped countries. This model of transport development was given by Edward J. Taaffe, Richard L. Morril and Peter R. Gould in 1963 in their paper titled Transport Development in Underdeveloped Countries: A Comparative Analysis. … Read more
In common parlance, transport is defined as the movement of tangible goods and people from one place to another. However, there are various aspects of transportations such as time, space, cost, effort, reach, velocity etc. Since, the concept of space and place is closely connected to transportation, it becomes a subject matter of geographical analysis. … Read more
Alfred Weber, a pioneer of locational analysis in Geography, introduced the Theory of Industrial Location in 1909. Weber combined economic parameters with spatial parameters to arrive at a profitable location for industries. It is also known as Least Cost Theory because this theory tries to find a location of least cost for an industrial location. … Read more
Alfred Weber is considered one of the pioneers of locational analysis in Geography. He gave his theory of industrial location in 1909. Weber’s theory of industrial location is a beautiful example of combining economic parameters with spatial parameters to arrive at a profitable location for industries. It is also known as Least Cost Theory because … Read more
In the 1950s, Geographers and Demographers were increasingly attracted to methods of positivist sciences such as physics and mathematics. Therefore, they used different theories and models of these sciences in their own field to gain validation from the scientific community. This paradigm in social sciences is known as quantitative revolution. The Gravity Model of Migration … Read more