INTERACTION BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

The chairmen of the departments of physical geography and economic geography of the USSR at Moscow University call for greater interplay between the two major subfields of geography, particularly in the context of geographical research for regional planning and geographical prediction generally. The demands of a modern economy require a more integrated approach to the study of spatial systems encompassing the totality of the natural environment, settlement, production and living conditions. Such close interaction between physical and economic geography needs to be pursued at all levels of geography as a discipline, from international geographical congresses down to ordinary student field practice.     

RUSSIAN PLACE NAMES IN ALASKA

A Moscow University place-name linguist traces the origins ot Russian place names in Alaska through the three periods of Russian settlement–the early mercantile activities, colonization of the southern areas, and penetration of the interior–and the extent to which aboriginal names were combined with Russian names. The various types of Russian settlements and the terms used to designate them are discussed, and the evolution of Russian names into the American period is traced. Alaska is found to be a unique case of Russian-American language contact.     

THE LARGEST KARST CAVES AND SHAFTS OF THE USSR

Increased speleological activity in the last 20 years has led to the discovery of 5,000 karst caves and shafts, concentrated mainly in the Caucasus, the Crimea and the Gissar-Alay mountain system of Soviet Central Asia. The largest caves and deepest shafts of the USSR are identified, and their basic characteristics are listed. The author discusses the position of portals, the character of the watersheds feeding the undergound streams, the morphology of the cavities, the rate of flow of underground streams, the chemical composition of the water, and the mutual arrangement of karst cavities.     

THE FORMATION OF THE PRINCIPALITIES OF NORTHEASTERN RUS' IN THE POST-MONGOL PERIOD (TO THE END OF THE 13TH CENTURY)

The main stages in the territorial formation of the principalities of Northeastern Rus' in the second half of the 13th century are examined. The influence upon this process of the Tatar-Mongol invasion, and the creation of the conditions for the rise of Moscow, Tver', Kostroma, and Gorodets as possible future centers for the unification of the Russian lands, are demonstrated. (The translation was prepared by James R. Gibson of York University, Toronto.)