ABSTRACT
The importance of demographic factors in marginal lands research has been generally recognized, yet rather few analysts have made extensive use of demographic data. In a review of the many published works by members of the I.G.U. Commission on Marginal and Critical Regions in its current and earlier forms, and of the books issued by the Planning Issues in Marginal Areas group, there are only a small number of papers dealing extensively with demographic factors. The chapter examines a number of basic demographic measures to see if they might provide one basis for characterizing and delimiting marginal lands. The focus in marginal lands research has been more on the origins of marginality, ways to alleviate it, and the many developmental issues involved. At the International Geographical Congress in The Hague, Cullen and Pretes presented the results of a highly useful survey of perceptions of marginality.
