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PROBLEMS OF GEOMORPHOLOGICAL MAPPING Geographical Studies No. 46, Warszawa 1963

JAN PIETER BAKKER Amsterdam

DIFFERENT TYPES OF GEOMORPHOLOGICAL MAPS

A comparison of the Polish geomorphological maps (Klimaszewski —

Galon) with those from other countries

In two articles (1940 and 1942), which originated as speeches. I have shown that physical geography and geomorphology have an important functional task. It was during this period that these branches of geographical study were only practised for their own sake, and had strong genetic-evolutional trends. It was also during this period, that, at least in the Netherlands, there was much discussion over whether the Pleisto-cene cover sands originated under fluvioglacial, as opposed to niveo--aeolian conditions. With reference to this, it seemed to me important to make physical geographical landscape classifications, and to make an investigation with a functional purport. Of course the origin of cover sands is of interest to the physical geographer. It was also no less important to consider the cover sand as carrier of certain types of settlements and agricultural pursuits, and their suitability for this. Here too is a task for functional physical geographical, occasionally in cooperation with pedological and micro- and local climatological and hydrographical, in-vestigation. Physical geography (including geomorphology) must be functional, in order to prove that it is a science, that is or may be direct practical use for mankind.

Meanwhile much has been altered sińce 1937 when I first handled these problems in my lectures for students of Geography at the Uni-versity of Amsterdam.

An example of how much morę important functional physical geography has become in the Netherlands can be given (among others) by. the interesting article from Professor H. J. Keuning (1959), and the opening of the physical geographical laboratory in the University of Amsterdam in 1952, where there has been sińce then much applied physical geographical research undertaken (see Bakker 1960). Na-turally we find similar tendencies in geographical science in other countries, especially sińce the last World War. It is therefore not surprising that in 1956, in Rio de Janeiro, the International Geographical Union set up a commission on applied geomorphology, and in 1960 in Stock-