ABSTRACT
Throughout port and maritime studies, the link between flows and the socio-economic characteristics of localities has been investigated mostly qualitatively. While systematic international quantitative investigations remain scarce and dispersed, their reliance upon port tonnage statistics tends to ignore maritime linkages. In the maritime network, the so-called industrial centres as well as the agri-bulk hubs are essential for feeding the more urbanized port regions concentrating populations and services along the main trunk line. This chapter provides an analysis of the Pacific Rim area based on the comparison of vessel movement data and regional socio-economic data collected at the level of subnational entities or port regions. The analysis of the socio-economic determinants of port and maritime traffic across the Pacific Rim region is fruitful in many ways. Even though the analysis only focuses on the Pacific Rim area, California stands out as the largest traffic region to which multiple commodity flows of various natures converge, mostly containers.
