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The Diversity of Indochina's Physical Geography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2011

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Extract

French Indochina is a union not only of different states bur of geographically diverse areas. Both the physical and cultural-geographic elements have variety in their distribution on the land. This lack of uniformity presents problems for those attempting to create national unity within Indochina. The present brief review can mention only some of the more important contrasts; thoughtful persons will wish to bear in mind these physical and the equally complex cultural-geographic elements in considering those economic and political situations that have arisen in Indochina in modern times.

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Asian Studies, Inc. 1947

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References

1 This account is based in large part on the excellent treatment of the physical conditions of land utilization by Pierre Gourou in L'utilisation du sol en Indochine française (Paris: Paul Hartmann, 1940). An English translation of this work, prepared by S. Haden Guest and Elizabeth Allerton Clark for the Institute of Pacific Relations, was distributed in a limited mimeographed edition in April 1945. An English edition based on this translation is now being printed.

2 There are a number of standard French geographical works. A symposium of geographic and other articles was edited by Georges Maspero, Un empire colonial français: l'Indochine 2 ( vols., Paris and Brussels: Van Oest, 1929–30). There is a good treatment by Jules Sion in Asie des moussons, 2e partie: Inde, Indochine, Insulinde, in the series Géographie universelle (Paris: Armand Colin, 1929). The human geography of French Indochina is also treated by Gourou, op. cit. Charles Robequain prepared a companion volume to Gourou's work; this has been published under the auspices of the Institute of Pacific Relations in an English language edition, The economic development of French Indo-China (New York: Oxford University Press, 1944). Robequain also has published a geography of the land, L'Indochinc francaise (Paris: Armand Colin, 1935).

French geographic literature, particularly the Annales de geographic, has many short articles on Indochina. The Société de Géographie de Hanoi has published a series of Cahiers, containing articles. Beside government publications, a primary source on the economy is the Bulletin économique de l'Indochine. There are numerous French bibliographies. A very helpful brief bibliography of recent works on Indochina is found in Cecil Hobbs' Southeast Asia, 1915–45 (Washington: Library of Congress, Orientalia Division, 1946). One reference in that bibliography which was not obtainable for use in this study, but which may be of value, is a published thesis prepared at the University of Montpelier by Adolphe Agard, L'union indo-chinoise française ou Indochine orientate: régions naturelles et géographic economique (Hanoi: Imp. d'Extrême-Orient, 1935).

3 Geologic literature on French Indochina is mostly in government publications, particularly the Bulletin du service géologique de l'Indochine. Gourou is generally followed in the account of the relief regions given here. Charles Robequain in an article on “La structure de l'Indo-chine” (Annales de géographic 45 [1936], 192–97) has a short bibliography and discussion summarizing the works, “Observations et reflexions sur la géologie stratigraphique et struc-turale de l'Indochine” (Bulletin de la société géologique de France [1934], 104–64), by J. Fromaget, and “Les connaissances géologiques en 1930 sur l'Extrême-Orient méridional” (Bulletin de la société géologique de France [1930], 323–432), by F. Blondel.

4 Pierre Gourou in a note: “La chaine annamitique méridionale” (Annales de géographie, 47 [1938], 75–78), reviews the work on this area by E. Saurin, “Etudes géologiques sur l'Indo-chine du sud-est” (Bulletin du service géologique de l'lndochine, 22 [Hanoi, 1935]).

5 As a thesis at the University of Paris, Couroti prepared a detailed study of this area, Les paysans du delta tonkinois: elude de geographic humaine (Paris: Editions d'art et d'histoire, 1936), which formed vol. 27 of the publications of l'Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient.

6 A short article on this area was written by E. Chassigneux, “Les plains et les irrigations de Thanh-hoa,” Annales de géographic, 36 (1927). 232–53. Charles Robequain did a thorough study of the geography of the area, Le Thanh-Hoa: etude ge'ographiqnc d'une province anna-mite (Paris and Brussels, 1929).

7 The government meteorological service of Indochina has published a considerable amount of data. One publication is that of E. Bruzon and P. Carton, “Le climat de l'Indochine et les typhoons de la Mer de Chine, “Numéro special des annales du service mite'orologique (Hanoi, 1930).

8 Pierre Gourou and Charles Robequain prepared a brief note on the soils of Indochina in the Annales de gèographie, 47 (1938), 508–09, in which they reviewed two articles, one by Castognol, “Propriétiés et characteres fondamentaux des sols du Tonkin et du nord Annam,” Bulletin économique de l'Indochine (1935), 338–48, and the other by M. B. Tkatchenko, “Remarque sur les processeurs de laterisation en terres grises,” Bulletin économique de l'Indo-chine (1936), 167–81.

9 As Pierre Gourou (L'utilisation du sol) notes, there is controversy over the question whether these laterites were formed in previous geologic periods or recently. A well-illustrated article concerning the use of these laterites and discussing their origin is that of Robert L. Pendleton, “Laterite and its structural uses in Thailand and Cambodia,” Geographical review, 31 (1941), 177–202.

10 The government forest service publishes statistical reports and monographs on the vegetation of Indochina. There are also numerous articles in the Bulletin économique de l'Indo-chine, for example, that of P. Maurand, “L'Indochine forestière” (1938).

11 Courou (L'utilisation du sol) gives a very fascinating discussion of this malaria problem and its effects on land use in Indochina. Other recent discussions will be found in Méd. trop. marscilles and in Acta tropica.

12 A number of French writers have dealt with this aspect of the land. A summary of the mining industry is given in Robequain's Economic development of FIC, pp. 249–69. A recent article in American geographic literature on this topic is that of Miller, E. Willard, “Mineral resources of Indo-China,” Economic geography, 22 (1916), 268–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

13 Naturally there is a great deal of literature on this subject. A good beginning might be made with Pierre Gourou, La terre et l'homme en Extrême-Orient (Paris: Armand Colin, 1940). Janse, Olov R. T. wrote a short booklet, The peoples of French Indo-China, War background studies, no. 19 (Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1944)Google Scholar. An account which is a mixture of travelogue and observation, Broughton's, Alan H.Little China: the Annamese lands (New York: Oxford University Press, 1942)Google Scholar, has an appendix on the races of Indochina. An excellent discussion of population problems and a fine bibliography will be found in Davis, Kingsley, “French Indo-China: demographic imbalance and colonial policy,” Population index, 11 (April 1945), 6881Google Scholar.

14 Robequain (Economic development of FIC, pp. 181 ff.) devotes most of his attention to the phases of French impact on Indochina. A doctoral thesis at the University of Paris by Wen Yuan Wang on relations with China is Les relations entre l'Indochine française et la Chine: étude de géographie économique (Paris: P. Bossuet, 1937). Two American writers have made recent studies of political activities in Indochina: Ennis, Thomas E., French policy and developments in lndo-China (University of Chicago Press, 1936)Google Scholar, and Thompson, Virginia, French Indo-China (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1937)Google Scholar. The Institute of Pacific Relations has published a number of short monographs on Indochina as well as chapters on Indochina in inclusive works on Southeast Asia. Its periodicals, Pacific affairs and Far Eastern survey, also contain significant articles on the political phases of Indochina. Of special interest in connection with the effect of geographical factors on the immediate political outlook is Pierre Gourou's “For a French Indo-Chinese federation,” Pacific affairs, 20 (March 1947), 18–29.

15 As quoted in a brief review of literature on Indochina in “French Indo-China — a colonial empire,” Geographical review, 20 (1930), 332–33.