This is the natural successor to James Bater's highly-acclaimed The Soviet Scene. In view of the profound changes which have occurred in the former Soviet Union, the author has now written an entirely new book. In it, he presents a survey of the contemporary human geography of the former Soviet Union. A central theme in the book's organization and content is historical continuity and Professor Bater argues that an appreciation of the former Soviet Union's past is imperative to an understanding of the present.