A Modern Dictionary of Geography This page intentionally left blank A Modern Dictionary of Geography FOURTH EDITION Michael Witherick Visiting Fellow in Geography University of Southampton Simon Ross Head of Geography Queen's College Taunton John Small Emeritus Professor of Geography University of Southampton A member of the Hodder Headline Group LONDON Co-published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press Inc., New York First published in Great Britain in 2001 by Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH http://www.arnoldpublishers.com Co-published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press, Inc., 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY10016 © 2001 Michael Witherick, Simon Ross, John Small All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without either prior permission in writing from the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying. In the United Kingdom such licences are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency: 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WIT 4LP The advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of going to press, but neither the authors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibiity or liability for any errors or omissions. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress ISBN 0 340 80713 X (hb) ISBN 0 340 76210 1 (pb) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Production Editor: Wendy Rooke Production Controller: Brian Eccleshall Cover design: Terry Griffiths Typeset in 9/11 Minion by J&L Composition Ltd, Filey, North Yorkshire Printed and bound in Malta by Gutenberg Press What do you think about this book? Or any other Arnold title? Please send you comments to
[email protected] Preface to the 4th edition This new edition of A Modern Dictionary of Geography is the outcome of a number of significant changes. One of its aims is to meet more directly the needs of sixth-formers preparing for the new AS and A2 examinations, at the same time maintaining the book's proven indispensability to geography undergraduates. The dimensions of the Dictionary now stand at nearly 2000 full entries, plus over 400 terms dealt with briefly and embedded in the definitions of related terms. The number of illustrations has also been increased substantially. My former colleague for over 20 years at the University of Southampton, John Small, in previous editions responsible for the entries relating to physical geography, has decided that his mantle should now fall on younger shoulders. As a consequence, I have been happy to work alongside Simon Ross on this new edition. Its preparation has involved several revision processes in order that the Dictionary should reflect the current state of geography - as ever, a highly dynamic subject. These processes have included: • • • • • eliminating terms that have dropped from the vocabulary of