ABSTRACT
Maritime shipping networks can be flexible as ship assets can be repositioned, but ports are fixed in space. The geography of the port is derived from its site and situation. The geography of ports takes shape at different scales, ranging from the port and its terminals locally to the global maritime shipping system. Ports through history were strongly associated with urban development and were often the key driver of the function and rank of a city within regional and even long-distance shipping networks. Ports are contingent on geographical constraints, and changing commercial and technical aspects in maritime shipping are related to changes in the geography of ports. Conventionally, port terminals were located close to city cores as many were the initial rationale for the existence of the city; most of the world’s major cities are port cities. Another aspect of port development concerns the automation of port terminal operations.
