An Historical Geography of France

This 1994 book traces the historical geography of France from its roots in the Roman province of Gaul to the 1990s.

Xavier de Planhol (Author), Paul Claval (With), Janet Lloyd (Translated by)

9780521322089, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 17 March 1994

590 pages, 92 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 3.7 cm, 1.03 kg

"..the book provides a clear framework for an easy understanding of the dominance of factors of unity over factors of unity over factors of dislocation affecting French history, and to a larger extent the French psyche. ,,,this Historical Geography of France is an absolute pleasure to read. ...this multi-purpose book is necessary addition to the library of all colleges or universities where French programs still carry some weight." Laurent Ditmann, European Studies Journal

In this 1994 book, Xavier de Planhol and Paul Claval, two of France's leading scholars in the field, trace the historical geography of their country from its roots in the Roman province of Gaul to the 1990s. They demonstrate how, for centuries, France was little more than an ideological concept, despite its natural physical boundaries and long territorial history. They examine the relatively late development of a more complex territorial geography, involving political, religious, cultural, agricultural and industrial unities and diversities. The conclusion reached is that only in the twentieth century had France achieved a profound territorial unity and only now are the fragmentations of the past being overwritten.

List of figures
Preface
Part I. The Genesis of France: 1. The isthmus of Gaul
2. The impact of Rome
3. From Gaul to France
4. The birth of France
Part II. The Traditional Organisation of the Territory of France: 5. The major divisions
6. The secondary divisions
Part III. The Centralisation and Diversification of the French Space: 7. Paris and the Parisian centralisation
8. Cultural action and reaction: unity and diversity
9. The economic differentiation of space
10. The rural exodus and urbanisation
11. The France of large organisations
Notes
Guide to further reading
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Historical geography [HBTP]