Contenu du sommaire

Thanks to the water of the Barada, Damascus and its Ghouta oasis enjoyed for millenaries, on the edge of the desert, a happy balance of urban functions and agricultural activities which the ruthless growth of the Syrian capital is now disturbing. The oasis is being pushed back to the East and its water is more and more used up and polluted by the town.

Since the end of the civil war, the opening of the frontier lines has raised up a great interest in geography of Yemen. The recent growth of Sa'na has not really modified the preponderance of the rural and poor economy, for which the non reversible decline of coffee's culture has not been balanced by the production of quat. The actual development of irrigation will possibly change this situation in a favourable way.

Study of periglacial slope deposits on Forez Hills (Massif Central, France) may point out a difference between deposits issued from gelifluction only, rill and sheet wash on permafrost, or combined processes through grain size analysis. Distribution of these deposits is studied in relation with altitude, exposition to sunlight and wind, and nature of bedrock. A relative chronology for the last coald climates in Forez is proposed in relation with glacial landforms and tills.