The article is devoted to the relatively new concept of proximity, which was born at the turn of centuries in the European regional science (economic geography and regional economics), but relies on long traditions of spatial studies (starting with J. Thünen and ending with studies of regional clusters and urban agglomerations). Proximity is orientated on the evaluation and analysis of potential interaction between different objects with account of their relative position and similarity in various parameters (social, institutional, organizational, etc.). This concept has similarity with the concept of economic-geographical position; however, due to including in the concept of proximity much larger number of factors (spatial, cultural and axiological community, position in social networks, etc.) the authors define it as a multidimensional economic-geographical position. Abroad, the concept of proximity is used primarily within the geography of innovation. In Russia, the tools of this concept are promising to use for studying of the spatial organization not only in the Western tradition (for instance, in the study of territorial clusters and sectoral innovation processes), but also for the analysis of specific Russian phenomena (dacha migration, otkhodnichestvo, etc.). Furthermore, conditions of the vast Russian spaces force to review and develop the concept of proximity with account of dialectical combination with concept of remoteness used in Arctic researches. Particular relevance in the context of Russia, according to the authors, should be given to temporal proximity as a form of compensation of factors of remoteness.

In the context of ensuring economic and other interests of the Russian Federation in the Arctic the problem of interpretation and implementation of legal rules on baselines in the Arctic Ocean has priority importance for Russia. The Russian Federation has the right to designate the geographical coordinates of points, the connection of which forms new straight baselines that are permissible under the correct interpretation of the applicable international legal norms, taking into account relevant international experience. The authors examine international legal provisions on baselines, theoretically evaluate practice of the foreign Arctic states to establish the baselines along their coasts in the Arctic Ocean. The position of these states in connection with the establishing by them straight baselines, taking into account the irregularity and tortuosity of a coastline, the presence of islands along the coast or in immediate vicinity from it, the general direction of a coastline, and other geographical characteristics of the relevant Arctic coast is legally appreciated. It is shown how the establishment of straight baselines affects the spatial scope of sovereignty and the sovereign rights of the Arctic states. The registry of basic geographical and other factors referred to by those Arctic states, who have established straight baselines along the Arctic coast, is designated.

The article deals with the spatial-temporal approach to the investigation of terrorist activity. The integrated indicator of the intensity of terrorist activity is proposed, and based on it six regions of terrorist activity in the world are identified: Asian, Middle Eastern, North African, South African, American and European. Each region is characterized by specific historical features, as well as by difference in parameters such as intensity, formedness and scale of terrorist activity. At the case of one of terrorist regions, the model of territorial structure of terrorist activity, which consists of three zones differing in intensity and other parameters, is described in detail. In the article the multiscale principle is implemented – terrorist activity is analyzed at three major territorial levels: global, country (a case study of Russia) and regional (a case study of the South of Russia).

This article concerns with the specific character of cross-border links between the cities of Bendery and Dubossary separated by pseudo-state border. Despite the general statement of local authorities of Moldova and Transnistria that cross-border cooperation is almost absent now, in reality it is wide spread at the local level – to a greater extent between citizens and to a less extent between local authorities in the sphere of housing, transportation, social security, education, health, trade, and etc. Politically and ideologically partitioned cities of Bendery and Dubossary paradoxically remain complex in the context of everyday life. Emerging integral “cross-border landscapes” seem to be a good proving ground for testing possible methods for resolution of political conflict, which has inspired the appearance of the pseudo-state border. Removing the contradictions that exist today between Moldova and Transnistria at the zones of their direct contacts, in particular inside the divided cities, may mark a good start for further gradual “step-by-step” negotiation of the conflict.

A new method is presented to increase the dating accuracy of geothermal paleoclimate reconstructions. The method is based on a simultaneous inversion of surface paleotemperatures and changes of ground surface heat flux, and on a comparison of the latter with external radiative forcing variations on long time scales. The developed algorithm is similar to the method of orbital tuning used for isotope temperature chronologies, but has a substantial advantage: for the revision of reconstructed paleoclimate chronologies, two energy characteristics are compared. It promotes adequate accounting the delay of the temperature reaction to changes in external radiative forcing. The presented method works best for the long-period paleoclimate reconstructions (some tens of thousands of years long). The algorithm should be used carefully for the former glaciation regions. The method was tested using ground surface temperature history reconstructed in the Urals for the past 35 kyr. The applying of the orbital tuning of geothermal paleoclimate reconstructions made it possible to achieve the 99% correlation between the ground surface heat flux and insolation changes in time interval of 35–6 kyr BP staying within the natural variability of the thermophysical properties of the rocks.

The river network on the territory of the Narva-Luga lowland began to take shape since the recession of the waters of the Baltic Ice Lake from the Baltic-Ladoga Klint about 11800–11600 cal ka BP. During the Holocene, the territory of the Narva-Luga lowland thrice experienced transgressive stages of the Baltic Sea, separated by deep regressions. This had resulted to significant changes in the entire hydrographic network in this territory. The Narova and Luga rivers are the largest and most ancient objects in the river network of this territory. Their development had occurred simultaneously, followed by changes in local physico-geographical conditions. The Meriküla and Sininõmme ridges began to take shape only since the end of the lower Holocene, and they were the coastal structures of diachronous stages of the Baltic Sea. The Narova-Luga connection appeared on stage regression of the Littorina Sea, about 4500 cal ka BP. This was facilitated by the descent of the western (Estonian) edge of the wide Littorina lagoon to the Luga Bay. During the Littorina stage, the Meriküla ridge in the area of the Ranna tract had a gap, through which water from the Luga Bay got to the Narva Bay and vice versa. The strait had been closed to the beginning of the Limne-glacial stage about 4000 cal ka BP. The Mertvitsa River had been a former bed of the Narova River at first (at the stage of its confluence to the Luga) and then the Rosson River up to.

This study investigates the factors of formation of malignant tumors of population under the age of 14. The heterogeneity of the geographical distribution of childhood cancer in Russia and in the world, as a rule, is a consequence of the influence of exogenous factors. The study, based on using comparative, cartographical, historical methods, and correlation analysis, allowed to highlight the importance of main environmental and economic determinants that contribute to the formation of malignant tumors of children: the degree of urbanization, regional economic development, the level of human impact on the environment, employment of parents and so on. The obtained results allowed conducting the clustering of Russian regions according to the degree of tension of the oncological situation in the area of incidence of the child population. The findings can be taken into account in developing cancer prevention programs with account of regional features, as well as in evaluating their effectiveness.

The article demonstrates the historical and geographical dynamics and nature of the development of the Northern and Arctic territories of Russia from the 17th century. Soon these areas began to play an important economic role, as the furs, which was obtained there, was a source of monetary metals. In fact, the country’s budget depended on the furs, and the successes of development of the North (and the East) then were particularly impressive. During the reviewed three-century period, this development was intimately connected with the extraction and export of resources, which determined the specialization of Russia in global commodity markets specific for each respective era. The article provides an overview of the contribution to this process each of the three centuries preceding the Soviet period and preparing the Soviet breakthrough in the development of Northern and Arctic territories of Russia. The authors also compared the historical and geographical features of development of the Arctic and Northern territories of Russia to the similar process in the North of America.

The comparative analysis of the toponymy as presented in the “Description of the Land Kamchatka” by S.P. Krasheninnikov with the “Map of Kamchatka and nearby places” reveals the “offset” of the Tymlat River for 80 km in place of the modern Valovayam River; the Anapka River beyond the Kamchatka Peninsula in place of the genuine Ilpinskaya River; the mouths of the Anapka and Ilpinskaya rivers, as well as Ilpinsky Nos (cape) are placed far more to the east than the longitude of the Karaginsky Island; and the Govena Peninsula (Govensky Nos by Krasheninnikov) is missed. The same comparison with the modern maps reveals the change of names of the original (by Krasheninnikov) Anapka River to Valovayam River, the Ilpinsky Peninsula to Ilpyrsky. It is being shown, that movement of the names of Govena and Olyutorsky peninsulas one step to the east, as well as disappearance of the Pakhachinsky Peninsula, was a result of F.P. Litke’s error, who took the Govena Peninsula by Krasheninnikov for Ilpinsky Nos by F. Miller.

The contents and results of discussion about the leitmotivs of geographical researches are outlined. The contents and the usefulness of these notions, formulated by one of the panelists in 2001, are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of the leitmotivs in comparison with the research programs (according to I. Lakatos) are compared. Two positions are revealed. The first position is leitmotivs are useful, albeit with reservations, because they contribute to the consolidation of researches in different subject areas of geography and broadcast the existing principles and methods for the formulation and solution of new tasks. The second position is leitmotivs are useless or even destructive. They are not aimed at finding new knowledge. This position originates from the concept of a geographical leitmotiv as a postmodernist type of representation of reality, which is unacceptable in a rational science. Moreover, the search of leitmotivs, which are in principle characterized by fuzziness and ambiguity of formulations, returns us to the practice of medieval researches. Currently, a compromise between the advocates of these opposing positions seems to be impossible.