territory

Articles

• Territory
  24 November 2013, by B. E.

  A territory is a portion of terrestrial space envisaged in its relationships with the human groups that occupy it and manage it for the purpose of meeting their needs. This notion is, in geography, neither a synonym nor a substitute for the word space. While there is of course a notion of space in territory, it is not viewed as a neutral and isotropic backdrop. Numerous components (which can be environmental, social economic actors, institutional, etc.) impart specificity and identity to (...)

• Capital city
  28 May 2014, by A.L.

  Generally speaking, the capital, or capital city, can be defined as a city that is the seat of the administration and government of a «State». There is only one capital, and it has considerable political and symbolic importance on the scale of the national «territory» to which it belongs. However capital cities do not necessarily dominate large global urban networks, and their role is increasingly challenged, as indeed is that of the States that they represent. Yet capital cities have never (...)

• Conflict
  21 February 2014, by Y. R.

  The word conflict covers such a wide variety of phenomena that it is difficult to conceptualise. It is derived from the Latin confligere (from con-, together, and fligere to strike) or conflictus (contest). In its most all-embracing meaning, conflict is opposition between two or more agents. It arises when one agent, individual or collective exhibits behaviours that affect the interests of other agents. This therefore supposes the existence of an antagonism, which can take on several forms: (...)

• Geosystem
  23 May 2015, by C. V.-M.

  The geosystem is a concept enabling the analysis of dynamic combinations of biotic, abiotic and anthropic factors occurring within a «territory». It belongs to systemic approaches generally, and is used in geography to study interactions between the natural environment and societies, both temporal and spatial.
  It has considerable affinities with the ecosystem approach that developed in the 1930s in scientific ecology, which mainly concerned relationships between living species and their (...)