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The teaching methodology of geography is a relatively young scientific discipline within the scientific field of geography, that has only been experiencing its full scientific affirmation in the last few decades. In the early years, scholarly production focused on works that primarily dealt with geography education, but further development of the discipline showed a tendency to single out educational geography as a distinct scholarly entity and branch within the field. Given the aforementioned, there is a need to recapitulate scientific production and the most important findings of this geographical scientific discipline from the last fifty years. A review of scientific and scientific-expert papers on the teaching methodology of geography and educational geography indicates a thematic and methodological paradigm shift toward covering topics and objects of research significantly wider than those covered in the classroom and during geography lessons. The noticeable changes in the prevailing scientific interest in the curriculum and organization of teaching according to human resources research, the organization of education in certain areas and student achievement indicate a continuous and stable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The French royal cosmographer André Thevet wrote many works, including Le Grand Insulaire et Pilotage. The second volume of this work (a navigation manual), prepared in manuscript form in 1586, describes the Croatian coast and islands and includes maps of Krk, Pag, Ugljan with Pašman, Čiovo, Brač, Hvar, and Korčula. These achievements are completely unknown in Croatian scientific literature. The subject of this paper is Thevet's maps showing the Croatian islands. Their geographical content is compared to maps published in the second half of the 16th century in isolarios by Giovanni Francesco Camocio (1571), Antonio Millo (1582), and Giuseppe Rosaccio (1598). The study shows that Thevet's maps were completely different from those produced by his contemporaries, especially in terms of the contours of island coastlines and depicted geographical features. Thevet's maps were a reflection of the author's personal competence, primarily his knowledge of geography and methods of spatial data collection, processing and cartographic visualisation, and are also a vivid testimony to French insight into the geography of the eastern Adriatic coast during the Renaissance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oštarije-Tounj area lies in the contact zone of two large geomorphological units: the Ogulin-Plaški basin and the Una-Korana plateau, along the northern edge of Dinaric karst in Croatia. This is a highly karstified landscape, with numerous surface and subterranean karst forms. The objective of this study was to determine the significance of the karst relief and the processes of its formation, with the aim of examining the interaction of these two large units during their geomorphological evolution. General and specific digital geomorphometric analyses were used, with geomorphological mapping. Within the morphogenetic approach, the morphostructural conditions of karstification, spatial distribution and significance of karst, and fluviokarst relief forms were analysed. Several dry valleys were established, indicating that this area was the important corridor for surface runoff from the Ogulin-Plaški basin towards the Una-Korana plateau. Tectonic up-lifting of the narrow zone between these two units created an orographic barrier, which hindered any further surface runoff and created the conditions for the development of karst subterranean watercourses. This paper provides a proposal of the morphogenesis model of the Ogulin-Plaški basin, summarised with the description "flattening and closure". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For almost half of a century, urban planning in Croatia took place under the socialist regime. During that time, it mostly played a role in addressing the pressing spacerelated issues of the development of socialist society, and in facilitating economic growth. In this paper, we examine urban planning in Croatia between 1944 and 1991 from eight aspects: the general roles of planning; legislation; relationship to societal planning; politicalinstitutional responsibility; urban planners and policy; plan execution; public participation; and environmental concerns. We analysed archival data and literature on urban, spatial and societal planning legislation and practices in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, including the planning journals Arhitektura and Čovjek i prostor, and planning legislation from the socialist period. We outlined the five evolutionary phases over which urban planning experienced decentralisation from the federal to the communal level, advancements in public participation, and the involvement of environmental considerations in the decision-making process. We also studied the evolution of planning tools, which originated in the socialist period but remains in use today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the administrative-territorial organisation of Croatia with the organisation in other European countries, with an emphasis on geographical aspects - primarily size (territory) and number of inhabitants of administrative units. The introduction provides an analytical review of the recent papers on this topic, and then an analysis of the current territorial division of Croatia and its former division into regions (groups of municipalities) and so-called “large” municipalities. This is followed by an overview of territorial organisation in other European countries, which is compared with Croatia, with focus on the need to emphasise the relationship between territorial organisation and the size of a particular state. The final part of the paper contains proposals for the administrative division of Croatian territory based on the spatial distribution of the population and the main urban centres, using the application of the best practices in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the socio-demographic profile of participants in the Croatian Islands' Birth Cohort Study (CRIBS), the first longitudinal study in Croatia to follow pregnant women and their children up to the age of two. The sample consisted of 286 pregnant women (145 from the islands of Brač and Hvar, and 141 from the mainland). The study aimed to: 1) summarise the main characteristics of the CRIBS study sample; 2) compare the sample with the general population of Croatia; 3) analyse the differences between the CRIBS participants according to place of residence (islands vs. mainland) and family type (nuclear vs. extended family). In comparison with women from the mainland, islander women had more often given birth to more than one child and finished only secondary school, while most of the women from the mainland had university degree. The prevalence of different family types also significantly differed between the islands and mainland, with islanders living in extended families and having lower average household income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lagging behind in economic and demographic development has been one of the fundamental features of Croatian peripheral karst areas for a long time. For that reason, the main research goal of this paper was to analyse attitudes of students from the University of Zagreb regarding the revitalisation potential for Croatian peripheral karst areas. A questionnaire survey was conducted using quota sampling, whereby 490 students were included. The willingness of respondents to return or move to peripheral karst areas was examined, as well as the association between the respondents' stated willingness and connection to these areas by place of birth or origin. Furthermore, economic activities that respondents saw as crucial to the revitalisation processes of karst problem areas were identified. Respondents' views on the possible future development of peripheral karst areas were also analysed. The results point to multi-faceted views of the area. A low level of willingness to return or move to peripheral karst areas on the part of the respondents was determined, whereby respondents, who were linked with peripheral karst areas by birthplace or origin, considered moving or returning to these areas significantly more. Rural tourism and organic agriculture were seen as the most important economic activities in the process of revitalisation. Regional self-government units and central state government were defined by respondents as most important actors in the process of revitalisation. Finally, respondents' predictions about the future of peripheral karst areas were predominantly negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the spatial concentration of economic activities/sectors in the Republic of Croatia in the period from 2009 to 2016. For this purpose, absolute, and relative spatial concentrations-Hirfindahl- Hirschman's index and variants of the Gini coefficient of concentration (Gini coefficient, spatial Gini coefficient and Gini location coefficient)-were applied. As a basis for their calculation, data on the number of employees per county are used. The results show that the most spatially-concentrated activities are those of the tertiary sector, in particular activities related to information and communication. Some activities are highly concentrated in the City of Zagreb, while others are highly concentrated in certain coastal counties. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing have the most even spatial arrangement. Most of the researched activities did not show a significant change in degree of spatial concentration between 2009 and 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of geomorphometric parameters and drainage networks are widely used in many scientific and civilian branches and activities. They are created using the Earth's land surface data, which are today mostly represented by digital elevation models (DEMs). The main objective of this study is to create models of slope, aspect, and drainage networks for the first time for the entire continental part of the Republic of Croatia, using the most detailed DEMs. In this paper, developed models are described, compared, and analysed, giving insights into morphological characteristics and structures of topographic surface. The quality of the derived models has been validated using existing independent data. Furthermore, because models were derived using various global DEMs, the differences between output models have been addressed and studied. Drainage network models were further analysed depending on several available computation algorithms (single and multiple flow direction) and threshold values. The analysis of the sensitivity and influence of input parameters and models on output models has been assessed in order to create reliable drainage network models for the future for other local or regional areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper closely examines territorial cohesion and rural development policy of the European Union, regional differences in the level of development of the cooperative system, and its spatially differentiated influence on the social and economic development of Croatia. The results confirmed the importance of the cooperative system as a factor of territorial cohesion, and the high level of positive correlation between lagging behind in regional and rural development, and the level of development of the cooperative system. The cooperative system has the greatest influence on regional development in Southern Croatia/Dalmatia (especially on social development) and in Eastern Croatia (especially on economic development). It has the highest impact on rural development in counties with the largest share of local self-government units (administrative towns and municipalities) with a development indeks below 75% of the national average - primarily in Vukovar-Srijem and Osijek-Baranja Counties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the spatial density of dolines in the Croatian territory covered by karst. The purpose of this paper is to calculate the spatial density of dolines and show a correlation between calculated doline density values and certain geomorphological and geological factors of their origin and development. Therefore, it has been necessary to calculate the spatial density of dolines applying unique GIS methods of data collection and analysis to the entire study area. Doline density per unit area has been calculated based on the mapped doline bottom. 1:25,000 scale digital cartographic models have been used to determine the doline bottom. The given data have been used to calculate the spatial density of dolines applying a simple kernel method to an area of one square kilometre. The analysis of spatial differences in doline density has revealed that certain connections exist between doline development and relief morphometric parameters as well as lithological and structural terrain features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper closely examines the fluctuations in development of agricultural cooperatives in Croatia during their 150-year-long tradition, as well as recent development trends, and spatially-differentiated development in the contemporary era. The results show that, despite the long tradition, contemporary Croatian cooperatives have been faced with a series of development problems. The main cause of that situation is inadequate legislation - a poorly adjusted law on cooperatives and correlative laws that are relevant for the functioning of cooperative entrepreneurship. This reflects unfavourably in all cooperative sectors, specifically agricultural cooperatives as its most developed sector. This has resulted in a marginal contribution of cooperatives to the socioeconomic development of the nation's demographically ever more destabilised rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first comprehensive nationwide trend detection of mean discharges in Croatia. Over the last 30 years, global climate change has manifested itself largely in the rise of the average annual temperature, which has resulted in the changes of evapotranspiration and precipitation patterns. The consequences of those changes have been varied spatial impacts on river discharge (flow). We analysed the changes in mean river discharges in Croatia at 53 gauging hydrological stations over the most recent period from 1990 to 2009. To assess the trend, the Kendall-Theil (Sen) non-parametric trend test was carried out for the yearly and seasonal mean discharge values. We found evidence of redistribution of discharge throughout the year, an increase in autumn and winter discharges (especially on the rivers dominantly fed by snowmelt) and a decrease in summer discharge values. Furthermore, we detected a change in the month of the appearance of mean discharge maxima and minima. In most cases the changes can be explained by the changes in the regime of climate elements (temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration) although that information should be treated with care because of the shortness of the time-series. The results are consistent with the ones from the upstream countries, i.e. Slovenia and Austria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the precipitation variability research that was conducted using precipitation data of 43 stations in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 1961 - 1990 period. Precipitation variability was analysed for annual, semi-annual and seasonal amounts of precipitation. The results of spatial analysis showed, that the range of precipitation variability is higher in Croatia than in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Lower values of precipitation variability were observed in the stations of the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nevertheless, further investigations are necessary for a number of stations in Bosnia- Herzegovina to confirm this statement. Lower values of precipitation variability in Bosnia- Herzegovina were obtained for all seasons, but largely for autumn. In the majority of stations, the minimum precipitation variability occurs in the spring. Maximum precipitation variability, which for the largest number of stations occurs in the autumn, is more evident in Croatia than in Bosnia and Herzegovina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the study of changes in the composition according to age of the population of Croatia over three decades (1981 - 2011). Consideration is given to the causes and characteristics of demographic ageing and they are compared with European countries. The degree of population old age is analysed in detail and spatial differentiation is made of the basic features of that process (to the level of the local district/town); emphasis is placed on the current situation (in keeping with 2011 Census data). A projection of the process in question up until 2031 is submitted (the trend in the total number of the population and changes in its composition according to age group and degree of ageing). One of the chapters analyses the consequences of the ageing of the population and endeavours to answer the question of how to mitigate such consequences and to impede this destructive process. It is concluded that far reaching solutions should be sought primarily in increasing fertility, by which gradual rejuvenation of the population's age composition could be stimulated. The second group of measures relates to immigration, and the third to increasing the employment rate of young people in order to halt their mass emigration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free time or leisure activities are usually perceived as a topic of tourism geography. However, all the economic activities that occur during a regular visit to a shopping centre, as one of the most popular places for spending free time, draw it into the scope of retail and, thereby, economic geography as well. Sociologists claim that shopping centres have replaced parks and free time activities. Parents largely welcome this trend, because shopping centres offer some kind of safe and controlled environment. Wandering around shopping centres is becoming more and more popular among young Croatians as well. So far, in foreign literature, different models and frameworks for understanding the mall experience have been put forward. This paper presents factors relevant for young people in making their choice. Finally, a framework or a model for choosing a favourite shopping centre is offered. With the trend of extensive opening of shopping centre, this model could become useful to shopping centre managements in development of shopping centres and their fight for customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to work out a synthetic indicator, which would help in identification, evaluation and comparison of demographic resources. The secondary aim is to form a spatial unit typology in the Republic of Croatia according to the synthetic indicator's value. The synthetic indicator has been named demographic resources index (ider ). It consists of two basic components: demographic index (idem ) and education index (io ). Population size is included in the calculation, specifically as a corrective in the form of a coefficient (k). The first index-component consists of eleven variables. It includes a general direction of demographic changes in the past period, the most important indicators of demographic potential and the synthetic indicator of the population natural change and age structure. The second index-component consists of four variables. It includes the characteristics of the population's attained level of education, as well as indications of the most educated contingent's future proportions. Based on the obtained values of the synthetic indicator, a typology of Croatian territorial units has been formed with six types of demographic resources, and their basic characteristics have been determined. The synthetic indicator of demographic resources has turned out to be relevant and applicable on all levels of Croatian territorial units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with regional characteristics of birth rates in Croatia on different territorial levels: from individual townships and municipalities to counties and larger areas, such as Pannonian and Karst regions (further divided into the islands, the seashore and the inland). The analysis is based on the average birth rates for a three-year period (2001-2003). In order to eliminate the influence of differences in the age composition of population, standardized birth rates are being calculated. Entire female population of Croatia has been chosen for standard population. In all counties and larger regional entities the process of regional homogenization at low birth rates level is prominent. However, a certain polarization of birth rates in hypothetical conditions of a standardized age composition was determined. One pole is located in Bukovica and Dalmatinska Zagora - the area of hypothetically the highest fertility, and the other one is in Istria and around Rijeka - the area of hypothetically the lowest fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the proposed conceptualization of Croatia's regional economic development, Koncepcija regionalnong gospodarskog razvitka Republike Hrvatske (1999), addresses the challenges of Croatia's uneven economic development. While the problems of Croatia's lagging regions have been addressed, the conceptualization contains controversies regarding what should be the guiding principles of regional policy — targeted or balanced regional economic development. The proposed conceptualization represents a mixture of neoliberal thinking about the key actors in regional economic development, principles of European Union regionalism and the socialist-era legacies. Consequently, it lacks clarity in several key aspects. A specific challenge is the existing multiciplicity of regional and socials interests as well as the limitations of regional economic development based on rigid administrative-territorial units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the basic processes of contemporary development of the Croatian population: total, natural and emigrational depopulation and demographic ageing. The causal connection between the processes of general and partial depopulation is explained and the results indicate their far-reaching unfavourable effects to the future development of Croatian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper covers Croatia's transport position in the context of pan-European tranport corridors. National transport policy priorities, the main transit routes in Croatia and their compatibility with the needs of pan-European links are all considered. The basic features of Croatia's transport system and its compatibility with the development of different traffic modes are analyzed. The significance of the potential Adriatic-Ionian transport corridor is considered in the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]