Social and geographical essence of transport infrastructure

Abstract

The new branches formation of material production and non-production sphere leads to the need of their geographic study. Therefore, this leads also to the formation of new research directions that, with the development of the theoretical and methodological framework, gains new features of scientific disciplines. Interest in studying of geospatial features of transport infrastructure continuously grows. Formation of the geography of transport infrastructure as the separate scientific direction is connected, first, with the development of the market economy. One of the key factors is a territorial division of labour, which has caused an intensification of exchange processes. There are principles of social production considered in research on the geography of transport infrastructure. Continuous functioning of the transport system is a material basis without which achievement of sustained economic growth is impossible. The economy of the country cannot function efficiently without transport, as it represents a connecting link from production to consumption of various sectors of the economy. Allocation of the geography of transport infrastructure in a separate branch is substantially caused also by its communications with others, in particular, geographical disciplines: physical geography, social and political geography, transport economics etc. The economic and geographical features of countries and regions directly affect transport systems – the general configuration of the transport network, volumes of transportation, the structure of cargo turnover, and the direction of the main freight flows. There is the place of the geography of transport infrastructure in the general system of geographical sciences covered in the article. In addition, it is considered the main approaches to determination of major categories of this scientific direction and is disclosed specific of transport infrastructure as the integral component of the functioning of the national economy and influence of transport on the country economic and social situation. Key words: transport, transport infrastructure, transport geography, economic geography.