Electronic Library of Scientific Literature - © Academic Electronic Press
Volume 54 / No. 3 / 2002
P. Eberhardt: Ethnic problems in Poland and in her Eastern neighbours. Geografický časopis, 54, 2002, 3, 6 tabs., 13 refs.
The paper presents, first, the numbers and the spatial distribution of the ethnic minorities in Poland. Then, the ethnic structures existing on the territories of the eastern neighbours of Poland, that is – in Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine, and the Kaliningrad district, are presented. Hypotheses are constructed on the basis of the statistical analysis and the historical-geographical assessment, concerning the possibility of emergence of conflicts of ethnic origin between various nationality groups inhabiting the four political units located on the eastern side of Poland.
Key words: ethnic minorities, ethnic conflicts, Central Europe
B. Degórska: Landscape changes in Central Poland. Geografický časopis, 54, 2002, 3, 9 figs., 17 refs.
This paper presents a study of the landscape changes in three regions of Central Poland (Kujawy Plain, Chodecz Lakeland, Włocławek Basin), over a 200-year period (1770-1970). The main aims of the work are: to determine the magnitudes to the transformations in landscape structure and establish the mean periods of changes in rural landscape, also explain the causes of this changeability.
Key words: landscape change, topographical map, settlement network, Poland
M. Kowalski: Electoral behaviour in Poland as the effect of the ”clash of civilization”. Geografický časopis, 54, 2002, 3, 5 figs., 50 refs.
The paper addresses the problem of cultural differentiation within Poland as the main factor behind the spatial differentiation of the voting behaviour of Poles. The existing differences in terms of culture are considered to be the effect of the complex history of the Polish territories, and particularly of the last 250 years. Thus, the paper concentrates on the analysis of historical conditioning and the way in which it gets reflected through the contemporary political attitudes of the inhabitants of Poland. Reference is made in the paper to the theories and propositions of two well known scholars dealing with the differentiation of humanity with respect to civilizations – Feliks Koneczny and Samuel P. Huntington.
Key words: elections, cultural differentiation, Poland
T. Komornicki: The geographical aspects of Polish-Slovak socio-economic relations. Geografický časopis, 54, 2002, 3, 4 figs., 2 tabs., 10 refs.
The subject of the study is contacts between Poland and Slovakia, which are discussed in the context of the theoretical models depicting bilateral socio-economic linkages, as well as the underlying factors influencing the geographical differentiation of these kinds of ties. This is followed by a spatial depiction of selected issues which may be considered indicative of the intensity of bilateral contacts, that is Polish-Slovak foreign trade, Slovak tourism in Poland and the direct linkage between the two countries via public transport.
Key words: economic linkages, foreign trade, tourism, transport links, Poland, Slovakia
M. Więckowski: Polish-Slovak transboundary cooperation. Geogra-fický časopis, 54, 2002, 3, 4 figs., 3 tabs., 17 refs.
The paper concerns analysis of the Polish-Slovak transboundary cooperation. The author presents the legal bases for transboundary cooperation between Poland and Slovakia and the most important spheres of cooperation. In this article, attention has been confined to those areas considered of the greatest importance to Polish-Slovak cooperation. These are first and foremost: the protection of the natural environment, tourism, transport (from both the infrastructural and linkage points of view). The last part of the paper presents transboundary units (that is euroregions).
Key words: transboundary cooperation, transboundary region, protection of the natural environment, tourism, transport, Poland, Slovakia
J. Feranec, M. Šúri, T. Cebecauer, J. Oťaheľ: Methodological aspects of landscape changes detection and analysis in Slovakia applying the CORINE land cover databases. Geografický časopis, 54, 2002, 3, 5 tabs., 7 figs., 14 refs.
The aim of the study is to document the individual steps of methodology of identification and analysis of landscape changes in Slovakia for the years 1976-1992 (applied in the framework of the Phare Topic Link Project on Land Cover) applying the CORINE land cover (CLC) databases and to provide the test results using the example of the districts of Dunajská Streda, Poprad, and Snina. The described methodology is based on the assumption that land cover changes can be used for derivation of landscape changes. The CLC database and satellite images became an important information source, which along with the geoinformation technologies makes it possible to follow the landscape changes on the local and global scales. The result of the methodology tests was creation of a database of land cover changes in Slovakia and definition of the following types of landscape changes: intensification of agriculture, extensification of agriculture, urbanization (industrialization), enlargement (exhaustion) of natural resources, afforestation, deforestation and other. Deforestation (8.6 % of total area of the district of Snina), extensification of agriculture (3.5 % of total area of the district of Snina) and urbanization plus industrialization (3.3 % of total area of the district of Dunajská Streda) are the largest identified changes in terms of area.
Key words: CORINE land cover, land cover change, landscape change, satellite data, the districts of Dunajská Streda, Poprad and Snina
P. Podolák: Spatial aspects of natality decline of Slovakia’s population. Geografický časopis, 54, 2002, 3, 6 figs., 1 tab., 25 refs.
The paper deals with the dominant process in the population development of the Slovak Republic in the last decade: decline of natality. It provides information on level of gross rates of natality decline in the districts of the Slovak Republic in the course of the 1990’s. Attention is dedicated above all to regional differences in natality decline rates. Basic causes of changed demographic behaviour of population are analysed including biological-demographic, socio-economic, and psychological factors. Reasons for distinct differentiation of reproductive processes at the level of various social, ethnic or religious population groups are pointed to.
Key words: natality decline, regional differentiation, demographic behaviour of population, Slovakia
A. Michálek: Regional aspects of human development in Slovakia. Geografický časopis, 54, 2002, 3, 4 figs., 6 tabs., 11 refs.
In spite of its small size and relatively low population, Slovakia is characterized by considerable differentiation of socio-economic potential, which determines also the different levels of human development in its regions. Measurement of regional differences in the level of human development is an important condition for the choice and implementation of an appropriate developmental strategy in the regions. The aim of the paper is to assess the different level of human development in regions by means of the human development index, and to identify problem regions where the level of this index is low. Social, demographic and economic statistical data were applied in calculation of the index. The results clearly show (in terms of the three index components, as well as the index itself) striking disparity between the regions of the north-western and south-eastern parts of the Republic. Favourable index rates, that is human development, were recorded above all in the urbanized centres of western Slovakia, while considerably lower rates were found in the majority of rural districts of south-eastern Slovakia.
Key words: human development, index of human development, partial indices, regional disparities, Slovakia
V. Székely: An intraurban location choice for a science and technology park in Bratislava: a feasibility study. Geografický časopis, 54, 2002, 3, 1 fig., 6 tabs., 18 refs.
The aim of the study is to create a methodological procedure of optimum intra-urban selection of locality in the territory of Bratislava offering rational and optimum feasible location of the Science and Technology Park (STP). Method of expert assessments is chosen for comparison and choice of the most suitable locality for feasible location of STP. The result of the study is determination of order of suitability of the individual selected localities for establishment of a STP in the territory of Bratislava as a group of experts assessed them on the basis of the importance of location factors.
Key words: Science and Technology Park, location factors, optimal intraurban location, feasibility study, expert assessments, questionnaire survey, Bratislava
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