Abstract
The physical environment and society are closely interrelated and the role of physical conditions can be detected in the economic development and spreading of settlements in the Hungarian section of the Drava Plain. Throughout the history of the region, land use has always been fundamentally controlled by the topographic and hydrographic situation. Even relief of a metre or two has been decisive in delimiting areas suitable for fishing, gathering, forests or crop cultivation. Although the flow regulation of the Fekete-viz and the drainage of swamp-lands at the end of the 19 th century reduced flood hazards and made new land available for cultivation, at the same time, they made the traditional life-style of gathering, fishing and hunting unfeasible for the poorer layers of society. Settlements formed on the higher-lying flood-free mounds (ormany-s). The paper employs GIS techniques in the study of spatial expansion of the largest of the settlements, the town of Sellye. It is concluded that the areas below 100 m elevation could only be developed following drainage measures.
Highlights
The interactions between human society and its physical environment have been intensive throughout human history
Historical, physico-geographical and ethnographical sources and military survey maps from the 18th-20th centuries have been used in the investigation and geografskoga informacijskog sustava (GIS) analyses have been made
Because of the constant flood hazard, unhealthy environmental conditions, poor accessibility and shortage of fertile land, the region was the last to be populated in Southern Transdanubia and provided rather limited opportunities for human settlement
Summary
Even relief of a metre or two has been decisive in delimiting areas suitable for fishing, gathering, forests or crop cultivation. The flow regulation of the Fekete-víz and the drainage of swamp-lands at the end of the 19th century reduced flood hazards and made new land available for cultivation, at the same time, they made the traditional life-style of gathering, fishing and hunting unfeasible for the poorer layers of society. Prirodni okoliš i društvo tijesno su povezani, a uloga prirodnih obilježja izravno se odražava na ekonomski razvoj i širenje naselja u mađarskom dijelu dravske ravnice. Naselja su se razvila na ocjeditim uzvišenjima, gdje nema opasnosti od poplava (ormány). U ovom se radu analizira prostorno širenje najvećeg naselja, grada Sellye, uz pomoć geografskoga informacijskog sustava (GIS). Ključne riječi: reljef, uporaba zemljišta, drenaža, naseljavanje, razvoj naselja, jugozapadna Mađarska
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Hrvatski geografski glasnik/Croatian Geographical Bulletin
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
