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Geography in India - Selected Themes PDF

318 Pages·2009·1.701 MB·English
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Geography in India Editorial Advisory Committee L.S. Bhat (Editor-in-Chief) H.S. Sharma H.N. Misra G. Padmaja R.B. Singh R.C. Chandna V. Raghavaswamy Sudesh Nangia R.N. Vyas ICSSR Survey of Advances in Research Geography in India Selected Themes Edited by L.S. Bhat Indian Council of Social Science Research Delhi (cid:122) Chennai (cid:122) Chandigarh Copyright © 2009, Indian Council of Social Science Research This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser and without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book. Published by Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd., licensees of Pearson Education in South Asia. Head Office: 482 FIE, Patparganj, Delhi 110 092, India Registered Office: 14 Local Shopping Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017, India. ISBN: 978-81-317-2664-8 First Impression Laser typeset by Star Compugraphics Private Ltd., Delhi. Printed in India by Repro India Ltd. Contents Foreword vii Javeed Alam Preface viii 1. Introduction 1 L.S. Bhat 2. Physical Geography 11 H.S. Sharma 3. Population Geography 57 R.C. Chandna 4. Settlement Geography 108 Sudesh Nangia 5. Regional Geography 155 H.N. Misra 6. Regional Planning 169 H.N. Misra and L.S. Bhat 7. Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System 203 R.B. Singh 8. Remote Sensing and GIS: Development and Applications 258 V. Raghavaswamy 9. Analytical Techniques in Geography 281 R.N. Vyas About the Editor and Contributors 301 Index 302 vi CONTRIBUTOR’S NAME This page is intentionally left blank Foreword The ICSSR is pleased to bring out the fi fth survey of research in geography covering the period 1998–2003. The ICSSR surveys, conducted since 1969, provide a benchmark for periodical assessment of trends and achievements in particular disciplines. In the surveys of research in geography, areas of development have been broadly identifi ed, extensively covering thematic and regional geography, methodological innovations in research and teaching, and application to problems of national and regional perspectives in planning. So far, four survey reports have been published in the fi eld. In 2003, the Council reviewed the progress in the preparation of survey re- search reports in various fi elds of the social sciences and strongly advised the need for timely publication of these reports to make them available to scholars in the respective fi elds. Accordingly, editorial committees were constituted to identify thrust areas of research in various fi elds on a priority basis. In the fi eld of geography, to begin with, the committee identifi ed eight priority areas to be covered by the survey instead of the entire fi eld of geography, as was the practice in the case of previous surveys. The state of art in the fi eld prior to 1998 was pro- vided as a backdrop. Physical geography, population and settlement geography, regional geography and regional planning, remote sensing and geographical infor- mation systems, and analytical techniques have been covered in the fi fth survey of research. The ICSSR is planning to bring out reports covering these themes and is working out modalities to publish more frequent periodical surveys, with a focus on emerg- ing themes of common interest to scientifi c communities in different disciplines. On behalf of the ICSSR, I wish to thank Professor L. S. Bhat, editor-in-chief, contributors to different themes included in this survey report and experts who provided valuable comments and suggestions at different stages of the work. New Delhi Javeed Alam 2 February 2009 Chairman viii CONTRIBUTOR’S NAME Preface At the suggestion of Dr D. R. Gadgil, the fi rst Chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, the Council initiated in 1969 a series of surveys of research in different fi elds of social sciences covering the disciplines of economics, geography, political science and public administration, psychology, sociology, and education. This was the fi rst major attempt to document the growth of the social sciences and trends in methods and achievements in the chosen fi elds; and, in so doing, to identify and prioritize the thrust areas for further developments in teaching and research. It was recognized from the beginning that different fi elds of social sciences are interdisciplinary and that there is a need for evolving a na- tional policy for social science development. Furthermore, through developments in fundamental research and application, some fi elds of physical science have rec- ognized the fact that developments in science and technology should have social relevance both in the short and long terms. Reports of the survey of research in geography conducted since 1969 have been published four times. The fi rst survey report was published in 1972. These surveys extensively covered topical and regional studies and identifi ed broadly the tasks ahead. Emerging themes such as tourism, health, environment and ecology, remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS) were also the focus of these surveys in later years. Recognizing the importance and relevance of the physical basis of geography, a survey of research in physical geography was brought out in the year 1983. These surveys were designed to regularly cover the programmes of teaching and research at intervals of fi ve years. However, this schedule could not be adhered to for several reasons. This was common to all the fi elds chosen for the review of research. The Council reviewed the situation and a committee was constituted in the year 2003 to suggest possible ways of making the fi ndings of these surveys effective for wider dissemination without delay. Imperatives for periodic survey of research in geography are due to the felt need to attempt convergence of concepts and theories and their application to those themes that are common among sister disciplines, notably economics, sociology, demography, psychology, anthropology in the social sciences, and geology, geo- morphology, soils, climate, hydrology, agro-meteorology and others in the earth sciences. The world over, there is now a trend towards interdisciplinarity in geography using the concept of region or space as a common frame of reference: geographical space, economic space, social space and so on. PREFACE ix The Introduction and the contributions to specifi c themes presented in this volume have taken note of the progress in geography overseas and access to new technology for sharpening analytical techniques in the fi eld. Content and Scope of the Survey The objectives of this research survey are somewhat different from the previous surveys, which systematically covered all the major sub-disciplines within geo- graphy; and within them certain emergent topics that have scope for specialization. Physical geography, resource endowment, population and settlement geography, regional geography and regional planning, remote sensing and geographical in- formation systems (GIS), and analytical techniques, with special reference to quantitative techniques in geography, have been covered by this survey. Draft reports on each of the selected themes were discussed in a two-day meeting of the editorial committee held under the auspices of the ICSSR in January 2005. Authors contributing to various sub-fi elds of the report are responsible for the opinions expressed and factual statements with regard to the review of research in those themes. The fi nal report was discussed in 2006 along with a few experts from the discipline. One of the major recommendations of the committee was that the thrust area on resource endowment had extensive repetition of the text on physical geography and hence should be deleted in the present format. The focus should be on land as a resource—using a landscape approach—integrating applied geomorphology, hydrogeomorphology, land systems, broad land use and land cover, and land capability classifi cation based on these inherent characteristics. This theme would then be complementary to the theme on agricultural geography, covering cropping patterns and productivity due to the combined infl uences of physical, economic and institutional factors. On behalf of the editorial committee, I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude to the ICSSR for sponsoring this project and for providing all the facilities and guidance in the preparation of this study. I warmly appreciate the research and administrative assistance provided by several of our colleagues dur- ing different stages of the work. L.S. Bhat

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