This collection is a scholarly reference work intended to provide a comprehensive account of the current state of Soviet geography, its principal theoretical achievements, and the problems it faces. The regular preparation of such comprehensive surveys is essential for the development of science itself, as it facilitates a critical assessment of the work accomplished during a given period and provides a sound basis for planning future directions. At present, such a survey is especially necessary for Soviet geography. This is primarily connected with the ambitious tasks set forth in the current and future plans for the development of the national economy, which call for the vigorous advancement of productive forces in all geographical regions and the broad application of modern scientific achievements. In addition, it is associated with the profound transformation of the classical methods of geographical science, which are increasingly incorporating the latest achievements of geophysics and geochemistry, as well as with the expansion of international scholarly contacts, the active participation of Soviet geographers in international scientific congresses, and the further strengthening of the international prestige of Soviet science. These major tasks have determined the structure and content of the present volume. The book is divided into the following principal sections: A survey of the history and current state of Soviet geography, presented separately for the general (integrative) disciplines, including physical geography, economic geography, regional geography, and cartography, and for the specialized (branch) geographical disciplines, including climatology, glaciology, permafrost studies, continental hydrology, geomorphology, geographical soil science, geobotany, zoogeography, population and settlement geography, industrial geography, agricultural geography, and transport geography. A characterization of the principal scientific problems and research directions in Soviet geography, including the paleogeography of glacial and post-glacial periods; the heat and water balances of the Earth's surface; theories of geographical zonality on land and in the World Ocean; landscape science and regionalization; integrated cartography; problems of productive-force development in economic regions; and the role of geographers in the transformation of nature within the territory of the Soviet Union. An exposition of geographical research methods, including field investigations and station-based studies, as well as analytical and experimental methods. An overview of the Soviet system of geographical education and the principal means of disseminating geographical knowledge, including secondary and higher education, local history studies and tourism, scientific societies, and geographical literature. The high-quality treatment of these diverse subjects could only be achieved through the efforts of a team composed of leading scholars. Approximately fifty Soviet geographers representing various branches of geographical science contributed to this work. Coordinating such a large group of authors and ensuring consistency in the results of their efforts was an extremely difficult task. As will become apparent from the text, this task was not completely resolved. Certain inconsistencies remain within the volume, some of which were deliberately preserved in order to respect the independence of the individual contributors. The editorial board made considerable efforts to restrict such differences to cases that stemmed from genuine divergences in scientific viewpoints. Discussion of a number of theoretical issues in geography is entirely justified, and we regard the exchange of differing opinions on such matters as one of the important driving forces behind the further positive development of science. This volume is intended for a broad range of readers. In addition to geography specialists in the widest sense, namely researchers in geology-geography, economics, and biology, as well as faculty members of relevant university departments, it should also be of interest to many employees of planning and design institutions, economists working in industry, agriculture, and transport, and other specialists concerned with the study of natural conditions, the utilization and conservation of natural resources, and the development of productive forces in the various regions of the Soviet Union.