Nationalities of Slovenia — changing ethnic structures in Central Europe

The ethnic structure of Slovenia has in recent decades changed dramatically due to the geo-political rearrangements in Central Europe and due to the socio-economic developments in former Yugoslavia. The mixed, dark-age based ethnic pattern was at first eliminated to be replaced by a similar level of multi-ethnicity of a different origin recently. Ethnic groups of mostly Slavic (Croat, Muslim, Serb) origin have in the past couple of decades migrated to urban centers of Slovenia, thus replacing there former German and Italian minority population. Problems of attitudinal, cultural, social and linguistic nature emerge and impact the poli-structured cultural landscape of the independent nation-state.     

Karez irrigation in Pakistan

Karez is an indigenous method of irrigation in which groundwater is tapped by a tunnel. After running for some distance the tunnel comes out in the open and the water is conducted to the command area. Karez irrigation is practised in 22 countries from China to Chile including Pakistan. In Pakistan it is confined to the province of Balochistan which has a tribal society.Karez is an old and stable irrigation system of Pakistan. It is a community enterprise managed by tribal tradition and run by social control. Spacing of the karez, their types, life, length, discharge, land development and allocation, water distribution and management are important aspects of karez irrigation which have been discussed in this paper. Differences in karez maintenance and management produced by differences in tradition and customs of various tribes inhabiting Balochistan are brought out. Furthermore recent changes in Karez irrigation caused by changes in the socio-economic conditions are also analysed.     

Wealth and poverty in rural India

The main objectives of this paper are to identify and account for the regional variations in the rural household incomes and inequalities in income distribution between and within regions in India. Clearly, higher average incomes are concentrated in the W and NW regions, and very low incomes in the densely populated E and S. These differences have been analysed through the use of correlation and regression model, based on 15 variables. The results indicate that agricultural development (reflected in mechanization and irrigation), size of holdings, and family size have a positive influence on incomes, and landlessness negative. Further, a significant negative correlation between low caste population density and household incomes suggests that, at least, some of the impoverishment in the villages may be attributed to an unfair social structure that has developed and has been maintained over a long time in India. This conclusion is further reinforced by comparing income data from regions dominated by tribal social system and community ownership of land with those where Hindu caste system and private ownership of land are dominant.     

Baluchistan (Pakistan): Its development and planning policy

They study examines the relationship between the social and economic environments of the tribal people of Baluchistan. It also evaluates how tribal organizations have been affected by geographic and economic constraints. Analyzing the spatial relationship between economic development and social structure, study has been made to isolate the effect of interrelated technical, economic and ecological processes accompanying development in Baluchistan. In the light of the current planning policies adopted in the area, an attempt has been made to determine whether any measurable spatial restructuring of these simple communities has occurred at macro and micro levels.     

Language change in South Africa: A geographical perspective

In the changing multi-ethnic South African society of the nineties, language planning has become a top priority on the national agenda of reform. Comprehension of the territorial dimensions of language is crucial if we are to penetrate its true cultural, economic and political effect. South Africa's language policy, as defined in the interim constitution, focuses mainly on the fact that in future the country will accommodate eleven official languages with equal status. Obviously, the nine provinces do not each have eleven official languages. A provincial legislative may, by a two-thirds majority vote, declare any of the national languages a provincial official language for the whole province or a part thereof. In the light of this it is of vital importance that the country's regional language patterns be analysed on a geographical basis. A visual and statistical representation of the geolinguistic realities in South Africa could support the planning and transformation process currently taking place at all levels of government in this multilingual country. The aim of this paper is to address the following geolinguistic issues on a national scale:

• The spatial identification of the official language distribution on a macro level;
• The time-space pattern of language change between 1980 and 1991;
• The demographic and socio-economic profile of language speakers;
• The consequences of the findings for ethno-linguistic restructuring in a post-apartheid South Africa.

The analysis of the 37 million people's first home languages in South Africa has been accomplished by utilizing an ARC/INFO Geographical Information System linked with the 374 statistical districts. Although the country is ethnically and culturally very diverse, three language groups, namely isiZulu, isiXhosa and Afrikaans, dominate the linguistic scene. Their respective distribution patterns are fairly segregated within specific regions, while their relative change patterns are substantially influenced by urbanization trends and political restructuring.     

Knowledge, power, and tribal mapping: a critical analysis of the “return of the Truku people”

Over the past decade, Indigenous peoples in Taiwan have shown a strong desire for the ??return of the Native??; this includes the Truku people in eastern Taiwan. Seizing a favorable climate of political opportunity structure in 2004, the Truku people first succeeded in obtaining the Taiwanese government??s recognition as an independent Indigenous nation??formerly considered a subgroup of the Atayal Nation. Then, riding on accumulated political resources, a few Truku elites started to engage in a government-initiated tribal mapping project. However, while tribal mapping originated in some North American Indigenous communities with a bottom-up process and spirit, the Taiwanese government sent both money (through the municipal government) and an academic expert team into the community to initiate and to assist (the elite group) with the tribal mapping project. These top-down government initiatives resulted in at least two major ill effects. First of all, two other subgroups of the Atayal Nation living in the same region were systematically excluded from the tribal mapping project, to the extent that their own traditional territories became part of the traditional territory of the newly formed Truku Nation. Secondly, possibly expecting a high political payoff on the part of elites, elite competition arose during the process of tribal mapping, with the interests of other community members largely ignored. As such, instead of establishing a decolonizing force, the ??return of the Truku?? appears to have achieved ??colonialism from within.?? This paper analyzes this process and considers ways to develop a more democratic strategy for the ??return of the Truku.??     

Tectono-magmatic evolution of the west coast of india

The west and east coasts of India (WCI & ECI) have distinct histories of their own. The WCI originated subsequent to ECI, which has the imprint of two hotspots - Marion and Reunion, evolved through several stages of rifting, magmatism and isostatic movements. Important among them are: felsic magmatism associated with doming (93 Ma); mafic magmatism related to rifting (88 Ma); origin of the Western Ghats of India and the east facing scarp of Madagascar (all the three related to separation of Madagascar from India); mafic (Deccan) volcanism in the north-western parts of India (67 Ma); rifting of Seychelles micro-continent and lava cover from the north-western parts of India along the Carlsberg ridge (62 Ma/A 27); isostatic subsidence relating to loading of Deccan basalts; subsidence of Bombay offshore region due to reactivation of SONATA rift; separation of Laccadive-Chagos ridge from the southern part of Mascarene plateau because of shifting of the Central Indian Ridge (40 Ma); buckling of South India and tilting of the Peninsula northward due to collision and subduction. These events make the WCI unique and endowed with a great deal of dynamism.     

Putting principles of linguistic rights into practice: Geographical perspectives on a contemporary European problem

The political salience of demands from minority and regional groups for greater language rights increases across Europe. To draw more geographical attention to a particular aspect of these developments, this article identifies the main generic problems of converting demands for ‘linguistic rights’ into applied language policies. It does this by first outlining how the historic process of nation-state building in Europe reduced linguistic diversity, but has not eliminated language demands emanating from regional minorities. It then analyses how the concept of ‘linguistic rights’, as a part of human rights in general, has been developing within the United Nations and bodies including the Council of Europe and the European Union. Having outlined the political-legal frameworks within which minority language rights are pursued, the article then discusses the major difficulties of putting them into practice in particular places and spaces. They can be summarised as: the weakness of relevant international agreements; the dominance of state sovereignty in determining language policies; the limited public support for minority language rights; the difficulties of defining minority languages and delimiting the geographical spaces they occupy; the challenges posed by the growing geographical mobility of populations; and the problem of balancing collective and individual rights. Two fundamental issues linking these different problems are identified. First, there are problems of definition: what constitutes a ‘minority’ or ‘regional’ language and within what geographical space(s) is such a language spoken? This spatial dimension underlies a second fundamental problem, namely that of resolving conflicts between individual personality rights and collective territorial rights in increasing hybrid geolinguistic situations created by the growing geographical mobility of populations. Sociolinguists study these issues, but usually treat these essential spatial dimensions in a superficial fashion. Thus, there is an opportunity for geographers to develop more sophisticated geolinguistic analyses as a contribution to this interdisciplinary field.     

Earthquake awareness and perception of risk among the residents of Istanbul

Awareness and perception of risk are among the most crucial steps in the process of taking precautions at individual level for various hazards. In this study, we investigated the factors affecting better knowledge and greater risk perception about earthquakes among residents of Istanbul. A field survey was carried out, and a total of 1,123 people were interviewed in two districts of Istanbul with different seismic risk levels and from three (low, moderate and high) socio-economic levels (SEL). The findings showed that although the level of knowledge regarding earthquakes and preparedness for them was promising, it could be improved. The results indicated that future preparedness programmes should target people with lower educational and socio-economic levels. The media were the leading source of information among the respondents. Location of the home was a strong influence on individuals having above average earthquake knowledge and even more on high risk perception. Socio-economic parameters (educational level, economic status, SEL of the sub-district and tenure of the home), gender and attitude score were other factors influencing greater risk perception with regard to earthquakes.     

Narrativizing (and laughing) spatial identities together in Meänkieli-speaking minorities

This paper scrutinizes how the Meänkieli-speaking minority in The Torne Valley, northern Sweden, use humor in the process of narrativizing their shifting spatial identities, as well as in maintaining and contesting prevailing power relations. A great deal of the research focusing on the social and political nature of humor, and its geographical dimensions, has concerned the humor directed at ethnic and national minorities, with minority groups typically being approached as targets of laughter. However, less interest has been paid to how minorities use and experience humor in their everyday lives and environments. Humor is approached here as an integral part of how people make sense of culture and society in a creative manner and cope with and challenge subordinating power-relations and social inequality. In terms of methodology, laughing together operates as a (research) approach through which spatial identities of linguistic minorities can be renegotiated. The study is based on group discussions held with local culture workers and activists between September 2015 and February 2016 in Swedish Torne Valley. The paper produces new theoretical and empirical knowledge concerning how humor is used in a creative manner to make sense of, produce and contest socio-spatial relations.     

南亚季风降水的双极振荡*

文章利用气象资料揭示在印度半岛南部和北部,南亚季风降水变化在10年尺度以上呈翘翘板变化形式;利用更长的季风降水资料,即300年的喜马拉雅山达索普冰芯降水记录和印度半岛南部石笋降水记录,发现印度南部和喜马拉雅山季风降水呈双极振荡行为。自1700年以来,喜马拉雅山,即印度北部(或印度半岛南部)季风降水经历了1700~1764年期间的减小(或增加)趋势,1764~1876年期间的增大(或减小)趋势,1876~2000年期间的减小(或增加)趋势。同时,发现印度半岛南部的季风降水同北半球温度变化具有相同的变化特征,而喜马拉雅山季风降水同北半球温度变化具有相反的变化特征。南亚季风降水的这种南北翘翘板变化形式,与跨赤道气流有密切的联系。     

Assessing land use and land cover change in the Wassa West District of Ghana using remote sensing

Vast tracts of forests are lost globally every year especially in the developing countries of the tropics due to various human activities such as lumbering, farming, bush fires, surface mining and urbanization. The rainforest in Ghana has experienced rapid depletion since the 1980s. The impact of deforestation is widespread, affecting the livelihoods of local people and disrupting the tropical ecosystem. There is a serious concern in the study area about climatic change, soil erosion, siltation of rivers and loss in biodiversity which have an adverse impact on traditional medicinal plants of the local people. The study examined the extent of land cover change through image differencing of Landsat TM 1986 and 2002. The image classification indicated that, vegetative cover from 1986 to 2002 has been reducing whiles land use activities have been increasing. Closed canopy, open canopy and plantation have significantly diminished and land use activities especially built ups, farms, mining and openfields are more than doubled. The driving forces for the change in land cover are population growth, lumbering, socio-economic and cultural practices of the people. Lumbering and mining have been some of the major causes of the changing landscape in primary forest. Also the reliance on wood for domestic energy and the need to increase food productivity to feed growing population have also contributed greatly to the rapid depletion of the vegetative cover.     

Proterozoic crustal scale shearing in the Bundelkhand massif with special reference to quartz reefs

Quartz reefs that constitute the most spectacular feature of the Bundelkhand massif of Central India are as yet riddled with controversy. We consider the NE-SW trending quartz reefs and the NE-SW trending brittle-ductile shear system developed outside the quartz reefs to constitute a single tectonic fabric of the massif. The study of structural features of the quartz reefs and the associated NE-SW trending shear zones coupled with the mineralogical and structural features suggests that the quartz reefs represent strike-slip dominated vertical to subvertical shear zones with dominantly sinistral sense of shear. The loci of the quartz reefs constitute the large scale fractures developed as a consequence of extensional processes in this part of Central India. These fractures were the sites for later emplacement of siliceous magmatic melt, commonly known as quartz reef that was also responsible for the mineralization of some base metals as well as pyrophyllite and diaspore. The lithotectonic system of these quartz reefs thus developed was later on subjected to strike-slip movements. A generalized model of large scale extensional tectonics during the Proterozoic times has thus been suggested for the development of the NE-SW tectonic fabric of the Bundelkhand massif.     

Is shrinking groundwater resources leading to socioeconomic and environmental degradation in Central Ganga Plain,India?

In India, agriculture is a source of livelihood for over 64 % of the country's population. Indo-Gangetic Plains of North India support good cultivation and provides livelihood to several hundred million people. The climatic change studies have documented changes in precipitation pattern which can alter the flow pattern discharge to the reservoirs and availability of water for agriculture. The reduction in groundwater recharge through reduced rainfall and irregularity in surface water availability has increased dependence on groundwater resources causing its overexploitation. Consequently, pumping from deeper groundwater conditions need more energy and pump efficiency for abstraction which ultimately requires huge capital investment. Moreover, volatile fuel prices make the agricultural society vulnerable to economic losses. The repercussions of water level decline are likely to disseminate an additional economic burden to the groundwater user community. To cope with higher energy demands, increase in fuel consumption has led to environmental degradation through higher carbon emission. Thus, the groundwater depletion is likely to have far-reaching socioeconomic and environmental impacts which are not confined to the Central Gangetic Plain. In the present study, attempts have been made to analyze the effect of groundwater depletion as a commodity in the social framework of the region.     

Evidence of women’s empowerment in India: a study of socio-spatial disparities

Various national and international communities have addressed women’s issues and taken various efforts to empower them so as to enhance their social and health status and involve them in developmental activities. The Indian DHS survey (National Family Health Survey, 1998–1999) provides an opportunity to study women’s empowerment in India. The survey collected information on several dimensions of women’s empowerment from 90,303 ever-married women (ages 15–49), from all the states of India. Utilizing these data sets, four indices – household autonomy index, mobility index, attitude towards gender index and attitude towards domestic violence index – are constructed to measure the different dimensions of empowerment. Using these indices, the spatial and socio-economic and cultural disparities that exist within India are analyzed. Finally, an attempt is made to identify some important determinants for women’s empowerment using multiple logistic regression analysis. The results show that at the national level, 43% of the women have high household autonomy; 23% of the women have high freedom to move outside their home; 40% of the women have no gender preference attitude; and only 43% of the women defy domestic violence. But there are significant divergences in these indices of women’s empowerment across the different states and socio-economic and cultural settings within India. Women’s educational levels emerged as an important predictor for all the four dimensions of women’s empowerment. Additionally, media exposure and age have emerged as the important predictors for some dimensions of woman’s empowerment. This paper was presented by Prof. Kamla Gupta at the International Geographical Union Conference (IGU), held in Canada, 2002.     

Stakeholders’ perception in identification of river bank erosion hazard: a case study

Hazards due to riverbank erosion, despite being considered usually as a natural phenomenon, have become a critical problem in recent times as introduction of new technology and one-sided engineering-based solution approach to combat natural hazards without taking into account of opinions of all categories of stakeholders, particularly of the hazard victims and policy makers, has aggravated the problem in many cases. The riverbank erosion hazard aggravated as a direct consequence of construction of Farakka Barrage on its upstream and downstream on the river Ganga has seriously affected the lifestyles of the people in the districts of Malda and Murshidabad in the state of West Bengal in India. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the perceptions of different groups of stakeholders, particularly hazard victims and authority responsible for monetary investment, about causes of riverbank erosion and possible preventive and remedial measures required to solve such a complex and multi-dimensional problem. A questionnaire-based household survey has been conducted on a number of important issues of the problem among the directly affected hazard victims at a highly erosion-prone area in the Malda district. Different perceptions and their impacts on selection and implementation of anti-erosion measures are critically studied. Analysis of data as obtained from the representative sample of erosion victims as well as the secondary sources of data clearly indicates that the hazard victims are to face bad effects because of existence of perception gap and that a holistic approach considering the perception of erosion victims needs to be undertaken for a permanent solution of the problem.     

Analysis of Rainfall Over Different Homogeneous Regions of India in Relation to Variability in Westward Movement Frequency of Monsoon Depressions

Between 1941 and 2002 there has been a decreasing trend in the frequency of monsoon disturbances (MDs) during the summer monsoon season (June–September). This downwards trend is significant at the 99.9% level for the main monsoon phase (July–August) and the withdrawal phase (September); however, it is not significant during the onset phase (June). The variability in rainfall over the homogeneous regions of India on the sub-seasonal scale also shows a significant decreasing trend with respect to the amount of rainfall over Northwest India (NWI) and Central India (CEI) during all three phases of the monsoon. Meteorological observations reveal that there has been an eastward shift of the rainfall belt with time over the Indian region on the seasonal scale and that this shift is more prominent during the withdrawal phase. This decreasing trend in MDs together with its restricted westerly movement seem to be directly related to the decreasing trend in rainfall over CEI during both the main monsoon and withdrawal phases and over NWI during the withdrawal phase. The low-level circulation anomalies observed during two periods (period-I: 1951–1976; period-ii: 1977–2002) are in accordance with the changes in rainfall distribution, with comparatively more (less) rainfall falling over NWI, CEI and Southern Peninsular India (SPI) during period-I (period-ii), and are accompanied by a stronger (weaker) monsoon circulation embedded with an anomalous cyclonic (anti-cyclonic) circulation over CEI during the main monsoon and withdrawal phases. During the onset phase, completely opposite circulation anomalies are observed during both periods, and these are associated with more (less) rainfall over NWI, CEI and SPI during period-ii (period-I).     

Planning for Delhi

This paper reviews the planning and city building processes in Delhi in three periods — the imperial Mughal, the imperial British and the post-Independence. In the two earlier periods, the plans followed the ideals and tastes of the ruling elites and the cities were built to meet their needs. But the cities were well adapted to the technologies of the times and patterns of social interactions among the residents. Consequently, they provided to most of their residents a living environment which was efficient, healthy and satisfying. One reason for this was that Delhi was a relatively small city and increase in population was slow.The half century since 1941 has witnessed an unprecedented increase in population which has gone up from less than 700,000 in 1941 to 8.4 million in 1991. The increase has been due partly in response to expansion of employment in public administration, trade, finance and manufacturing industries, and partly to large in-migration of displaced persons from Pakistan during 1947–48, and from other states of India throughout the period.The efforts of the public agencies — the Central Government and the Delhi Development Authority — to expand housing have been matched by those of individuals and cooperative societies. But the efforts have been focussed on providing housing to people of medium and high income groups; the housing needs of the poor have been met by rapid growth of slums and unauthorised colonies. Expansion of physical and social infrastructure has also proved inadequate to meet the demands on it. The reliance in the absence of a mass transit facility, on a miscellany of motor vehicles for movement within the city, has resulted in very high levels of air and noise pollution.The hopeful beginning with long-term planning, made with successful implementation of the first master plan 1961–81, has suffered a set back as a result of the failure of the Central Government to approve the second master plan 1981–2001. The Regional Plan 2001 for the National Capital Region, approved in 1988 by all the governments concerned, is also not being implemented. In the resulting, impasse there is unplanned growth of a giant conurbation adding to its various problems. The paper recommends revival of metropolitan and regional planning for direction of growth of the conurbation to 2010.     

Aquifer development planning to supply a seaside resort: a case study in Goa,India

Using the hydrogeological and socio-economic data derived from a European Commission research project on the measurement, monitoring and sustainability of the coastal environment, two optimization models have been applied to satisfy the future water resources needs of the coastal zone of Bardez in Goa, India. The number of tourists visiting Goa since the 1970s has risen considerably, and roughly a third of them go to Bardez taluka, prompting growth in the tourist-related infrastructure in the region. The optimization models are non-linear mixed integer models that have been solved using GAMS/DICOPT++ commercial software. Optimization models were used, firstly, to indicate the most suitable zones for building seaside resorts and wells to supply the tourist industry with an adequate amount of water, and secondly, to indicate the best location for wells to adequately supply pre-existing hotels. The models presented will help to define the optimal locations for the wells and the hydraulic infrastructures needed to satisfy demand at minimum cost, taking into account environmental constraints such as the risk of saline intrusion.

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Résumé A l’aide de données hydrogéologiques et socio-économiques, dérivées d’un projet de recherche de la Commission Européenne sur l’étude, la surveillance et la durabilité de l’environnement c?tier, deux modèles d’optimisation ont été appliqués en vue de satisfaire les besoins futurs en ressources en eau de la zone c?tière de Bardez au Goa en Inde. Le nombre de touristes qui visitent le Goa depuis les années 70 a considérablement augmenté et environ un tiers d’entre eux se rend à Bardez taluka, ce qui encourage la croissance des infrastructures liées au tourisme dans la région. Les modèles d’optimisation sont des modèles non linéaires mixtes en nombres entiers qui ont été résolus en utilisant le logiciel commercial GAMS/DICOPT++. Les modèles d’optimisation ont été utilisés pour indiquer premièrement les zones les plus appropriées pour construire des stations balnéaires et des puits pour approvisionner en quantité d’eau suffisante l’industrie touristique, et deuxièmement pour indiquer la meilleure localisation de puits pour l’alimentation des h?tels préexistants. Les modèles présentés aideront à définir les localisations optimales des puits et des infrastructures hydrauliques nécessaires à la satisfaction de la demande à un co?t minimum, tout en prenant en compte les contraintes environnementales, tel que le risque d’intrusion saline.

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Resumen Se han aplicado dos modelos de optimización en base a datos socio-económicos e hidrogeológicos derivados de un proyecto de investigación de la Comisión Europea sobre medición, monitoreo y sostenibilidad del ambiente costero para satisfacer las necesidades futuras de recursos hídricos de la zona costera de Bardez en Goa, India. El número de turistas que visita Goa desde la década de 1970′s ha subido considerablemente y cerca de un tercio de ellos van a Bardez taluka impulsando el crecimiento en la infraestructura turística de la región. Los modelos de optimización son modelos de números enteros mixtos no-lineales que se han resuelto usando el programa comercial GAMS/DICOPT++. Los modelos de optimización se usaron, primero para indicar las zonas más adecuadas para la construcción de centros de diversión en las márgenes del océano y pozos para abastecer la industria turística con una adecuada cantidad de agua, y segundo, para indicar la mejor localización de pozos para el abastecimiento de hoteles pre-existentes. Los modelos que se presentan ayudarán a definir las localizaciones óptimas para los pozos y las infraestructuras hidráulicas necesarias para satisfacer la demanda al mínimo costo, tomando en consideración restricciones ambientales tal como el riesgo de intrusión salina.