GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH
Year:2003 | Volume:18 | Issue:1 (68)|Papers Count:10

The significant role of intermediate cities in bringing about equilibrium in urban system of the country and activating the economy of rural areas, and balance regional development necessitates the study and knowledge of the causes and mechanisms of the growth of this kind of cities. During the last decades, one of the phenomena accelerating the trend of urban population growth including intermediate cities of the country has been migration from villages to cities. Although the motivation for finding jobs is cited, in research on this issue, as one of the major causes of migration to cities, the rate of migration and urban population growth has been less quantitatively analyzed with regard to the development of labour market in cities. The present research has been carried out to evaluate the relationship between migration and population growth in intermediate cities and labour market development in cites. In this reserch, which is a causal-historical research, employing quantitative methods, the population growth and immegration to 22 intermediate cities with a population between (100 to 250 thousand people) of the country in relation with their labour market developments between 1335/1956 to 1375/1996, within distinct periods of ten year intervals have been analyzed. The results of the research indicate that there is a direct and significant link between the lack of equilibrium in supply and demand of workers in these cities and the rate of immegration and population in various periods.

Tourism has been variously defined and known at different times. During the time of tradition, tourists traveled to see new places or to make pilgrimage. Though business and learning were also intended, they were not among the main purposes of the travelers. In the modem time, it is a result of modernization. The tourist wants to keep away from the mechanical life and civilization. He goes to the sea, woods, mountains, and seeks nature and natural beauties, including sex. Tourism in this period is a kind of leisure time activity. It is an industry which involves an important commercial dimension, with investment in different related areas. Tourists are interested more in the monuments, historical places, and foods, clothing, and life style of unknown people and cultures. A large window has been opened up to the viewer/ traveler. Every thing and every where is interesting to see, from ethnic groups living in Africa to the skyscrapers in New York. In the post.post modern era, every thing is dealt with electronically, through satellite, internet, and T.V. A tourist can travel all through the world, in an unreal manner. He is a false tourist who serves the industry of electronic tourism. It can be said that this kind of tourism comes closer to social justice, compared with other types of tourism.

Misho-Dogh Mountainous area (E-W trending) is located in northwest of Iran and north of Orumieh lake. Morphology of this Mountain has been influenced by the tectonic sediments in eastern Misho, sinusity of mountain front ratio(Smf), deviation of river channels from the original direction, and the longitudinal profiles of the main channel of the catchments indicate that tectonic activities continued at Quaternary, especially on eastern Misho. Alluvial fans on the studied area has a direct relationship with the neogene tectonic activities and their source area characteristics, so that fan surface profiles and sediment sequences indicate the effects of this factors. The alluvial fans of the region, in fact, are a part of Misho fluvial systems. Sediments are eroded form steep slopes in catchments trans to the alluvial fans by this systems. Therefore, alluvial fans and their characteristics are controlled by the activities of other parts of the system, and alluvial fans react to environmental' changes such as runoff and sediment changes. Areal photos, topographic and geologic maps and field studies are used for collecting the information on alluvial fans.

Desertification as defined in the U. N. conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) is (Land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities). (Cardy,1993). In Iran where more than 70% of the Land is arid and semi-arid, population growth and attempts to achieve an economic development, have caused an overexploitation of resources. This has Led to Land degradation in the vulnerable ecosystem of these areas, Desertification should therefore be considered as a phenomenon which strongly threatens the environment and our economic life. In this research the Plains around zayandeh rood river which include the areas in Gav-Khooni hollow within the contuor Line of 1800 meters in Isfahan region were selected as statistical area and by analysing hydrological and climatic Parameters, the trend of hydroclirnatological variations leading to land degradation and desertification Phenomenon was studied evaluated

The present-day climate of central Iranian Plateau is under the influence of arid and hyper-arid conditions. However, geomorphological evidence suggest that major environmental changes occurred during the last Quaternary. This research studies aerial photographs, geomorphological and sedimentological records of Ardakan Kavir (playa) in central Iran. A major inactive aeolian dune system (locally called kuhrig), has also been studied to determine the accumulation period of the system. Geomorphological evidence such as glacial deposits in Shirkuh mountains (Yazd - Ardakan catchment area), remarkable palaeoshorelines around Ardakan Kavir and relic aeolian sand ramps (kuhrigs) suggest a significant environmental changes in the area, although lack of a chronological record for geomorphological features prevents a comparative study. Geomorphological and sedimentary records from Ardakan Kavir indicate that a prominent lake occurred in the past, more likely sometime during the post-glacial period. The climatic trend was probably from a cold and relatively dry conditions during the late Pleistocene to a warm condition with a positively balanced  moisture available during parts of the Holocene.

Sefidrood valley has made the air changes possible between northern part of the country and the plateau of Iran. In this valley Manjil wind blowing from the north to the south in a year long period affects other regions. Using the statistical data drawn from the Manjil Meteorological station, wide fluctuations of such a current can be detected regarding the speed of the wind. In other words, throughout the year, even in the hot season,significantly various speed range can be observed. It means that in the hot weather period of the year (from April till the end of September) the speed of the wind is increasing to some extent and consequently it has a remarkable effect on the residents, comfort in the region, plant cover, apparent changes on the earth, and specially on the sediment behind the Manjil dam, etc. In comparison, the direction of the wind that blows from the north to the south has a meaningfully stable process. At first, the author tried to survey the changes that occurred in the blowing area and then analyzes the periods of blowing.

The important geomorphic phenomena that have been observed on slopes of the study region and are regarded as one of the main features of instability in slopes, is the occurrence of the debris flows. The dominance of the harsh climate in high areas, the abundance of moisture and the nightly temperature decrease, the sedimentary rocks and the volcanic rocks of the Tertiary Era have been eroded strongly so that we can observe talus debris on the rocky slopes of the area. The depth of the erosion in debris flows is an important indicator for recognition of the characteristics of the debris flows and the appreciation of the old debris from the new ones. Old debris is located in lower heights, while the typical debris flows are produced in high areas. The dimension of the debris flows in the southern slopes of Ghaieh Dagh and then on northern slopes of Cherkin Dagh are very diverse regarding the special vocational conditions, geological structure, the heigh, geological dip, topography and other dominant processes. In terms of the extension of debris flows and their presence in all slopes they are regarded as one of the important indicators of instability of slopes in geomorphic evolution in this area. This feature has higher potential compared to other slope geomorphic evolution. Using topographic and geologic maps and the direct measurements in the field with the aim of the recognition of the producing factors these features are studied.

Many river basins that have supported hydraulic civilizations for thousands of years are being converted into a very unsustainable and fragile ecosystems. This process threatens the basis of sustainable development of communities settled in these river basins. The major questions tried to be answered in this paper are as follows: I-How have the basins been changed into unsustainable environments? 2- What are the guidelines to direct river basin development and management towards sustainability? 3- Sustainable development and management of river basins requires planning for which a study model is introduced.

Geographical Research Quarterly is one of the most important geographical published journals in Iran. It has been published in Mashhad by Dr. Papoli Yazdi since 1984, and after a short time became famous for its scientific and new articles. This journal, like most newly established journals, has its own strengths and weaknesses. In this article, the first and the last five numbers of the above journal have been reviewed and compared in terms of their references cited and scientific structure of the articles. This review reveals how the mentioned criteria of the journals improved; while structural discrepancies still exist in different papers. To avoid such structural problems and help to promote the scientific level of the journal, it is suggested that the authors all use a certain format for the papers.