The Water Problem in the Deserts of the USSR

A regional review of existing and planned irrigation projects in the desert zone of the Soviet Union envisages the use of water from the Siberian streams in the northern section of the desert zone. For increased water supplies in the south, the author looks to other potential sources such as artificial increases of precipitation in the mountains of Central Asia, elimination of wild growths of water-loving plants, and technological advances that will make possible the economical desalting of water from salt lakes and of mineralized subsurface waters.     

The Present State and Basic Problems in the Study of Migration in the USSR

A review of Soviet migration research finds that only a modest beginning has been made despite some useful results. Further progress in this area requires broader migration studies, beyond the manpower-oriented approach adopted thus far; wider use of mathematical techniques and improved research methods; improvements in the statistical data base on migration, and the coordination of Soviet migration research through the establishment of a central research center in this field.     

Problems in the Study of Domestic Commerce of the USSR

Greater attention to the study of the Soviet internal commerce is proposed, with particular emphasis on the geographical differences in retailing. The sources of marketable goods in any particular region are locally produced consumer goods, farm produce and forest products as well as goods shipped in from other parts of the USSR and from abroad. Regional economic-geographic factors affect both the volume and the structure of retail trade. Volume is affected by such factors as the size of population, income levels, regional prices, and the availability of retail outlets. Structure of retailing is affected by regional differences in production and consumption, income levels, ethnic preferences and seasonal changes.     

The Present State of Toponymy in the USSR

A review of recent place-name research, methods, and publications in the Soviet Union by a deputy chairman of the Toponymy Commission of the Moscow Branch of the Geographical Society USSR. For a previous article on Soviet toponymy, see E. M. Murzayev, “Origin of geographic names,” Soviet Geography, Accomplishments and Tasks, American Geographical Society, 1962, pp. 254–58.     

The Development of Motor Roads in the USSR

Surfaced roads, including gravel roads, total 510,000 km, or 37.5 percent of the Soviet Union's motor-road net of 1.4 million kilometers, the rest consisting of dirt roads. Only about 260,000 km, or less than one-fifth, consists of blacktop or cement or asphalt concrete highways. The lack of roads tends to cause considerable losses to the Soviet economy, particularly in agriculture. An accelerated road-building program is therefore under way, with the current five-year plan (1971–75) calling for the construction or reconstruction of 110,000 km of improved surfaced roads (blacktop and cement or asphalt-concrete) compared with 75,000 km added in the preceding five-year period (1966–70). The densest road nets in the USSR are found in the Baltic republics, in Transcaucasia, Moldavia, the Ukraine and Belorussia. The lowest road-density indices apply to the Russian republic and to Kazakhstan.     

美国对苏政策中意识形态因素及其在苏联解体过程中的作用

美国特殊利益集团对全球霸权主义的追求、根深蒂固的反共主义,以及为维护世界资本主义的一统天下,决定了美国对苏联意识形态进攻的必然性。在苏联存在的几十年间,美国从未放弃消灭或西化苏联的图谋。在苏联基本坚持马克思主义的指导和社会主义道路的情况下,这种图谋难以实现。但是,当苏联把马克思主义教条化和僵化,并在西方和美国意识形态进攻面前逐步西化,就潜伏了巨大危险。一旦苏联领导彻底抛弃马克思主义意识形态,而以美国等西方国家宣扬的所谓"全人类价值观"作为指导时,苏联的解体和西化也就变得不可避免。     

The Major Economic-Geographic Regions of the USSR

A survey of the recent history of development, shifts in locational patterns and changes in organizational structure of the craft industries of Gor'kiy Oblast, one of the principal craft-industry areas of the Soviet Union. The authors map changes in the distribution of crafts and analyze economic-geographic factors in locational changes. Recommendations are made to preserve some of the crafts within the pattern of the Soviet economic system.     

The Geography of Radioactive Contamination in the Former USSR

A detailed survey of the location and scope of radionuclide contamination in the former USSR examines the character and spatial patterns of such contamination by source—e.g., commercial and military reactor operation (including reactors on submarines and icebreakers); uranium mining and enrichment; plutonium production; nuclear waste storage and disposal; and “peaceful” nuclear explosions and nuclear weapons tests. Attention also is focused on updating the situation at sites known to have sustained some of the most severe radionuclide contamination—e.g., Chornobyl' (Chernobyl') and adjacent areas; Mayak, Tomsk-7, and Krasnoyarsk-26; Novaya Zemlya; the Barents and Kara Seas; Lake Ladoga; and Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan. 5 figures, 8 tables, 60 references.     

The Present State of Medical Geography in the USSR

A review of the present state of Soviet medical geography based on an analysis of papers presented at the Second National Medical Geography Conference held in Leningrad in November, 1965. The authors, representing four departments of the Geography Faculty of Moscow University, stress geophysical and geochemical causative factors of human disease and the contributions being made by medical landscape science in relating environmental prerequisites to particular diseases.     

大漠生机

在内蒙古西部的巴丹吉林沙漠,是中国第三大沙漠.这里沙丘如山高,有1万多平方公里是无人区.但是,沙漠里并非一派荒凉,闯入这神秘境地,原来还能见到处处生机.11 3个湖泊,滋养了羊群、骆驼和人,还生出价值不菲、可令人发财致富的卤虫,引得人们来此"淘金".     

The Rayon Seats of the USSR in the System of Services

The administrative centers of rayons (county-type civil divisions) are viewed as key elements in the provision of services in the USSR. The effectiveness of rayon seats as service centers is analyzed in terms of the category of places serving as rayon seats (small cities; urban-type settlements [towns]; rural places), mean rayon population, area and radius, and the mean transport accessibility of the rayon center. The existence of a small city with a high level of services in a small rayon, as in the Baltic region, Belorussia, Moldavia and parts of the Ukraine, is viewed as optimal. Particular problems arise in Siberia and Kazakhstan, where the large size of rayons, low mean rayon population, big rayon radius and low transport accessibility combine to produce a low level of services. In such regions, a system of local service centers is advocated, with rayon seats performing the role of major regional centers.     

Basic Problems in the Study and Development of Desert Territories of the USSR

The desert zone of the Soviet Union is assuming an increasingly important role as a source of mineral resources, especially oil and gas, and as a region of stock herding, including the valuable karakul sheep. Lack of water and shifting sand are the principal development obstacles. An interagency research council under the Academy of Sciences USSR and the present specialized desert journal were established in 1967 to coordinate Soviet desert research and publish its basic results.