MAIN GEOGRAPHICAL FACTORS IN THE FORMATION OF THE TRANSPORT NETWORK OF THE FAR EAST IN THE PRE-SOVIET PERIOD

The development of the Far East's transport network spans nearly four centuries. The longest period in this process was the pre-Soviet period, which lasted from the middle of 17th to the beginning of the 20th centuries. The relevance of its consideration lies in the fact that the material basis of the region’s transport network was mainly created during this period of time. So, information about it contains data on the motivation, creation and operation of communication routes in the Far East. This information is unique and may be in demand when designing new communication lines. The formation of the road network was decisively influenced by geographical factors – active forces that lead to the formation and existence of geographical data of various properties. The purpose of the publication is to examine the nature of the influence of geographical factors on the formation of the road network of the Far East in the Pre-Soviet period. Assigned tasks: 1) to consider the determining influence of geographical factors on this process 2) to identify on this basis the stages of development of the network of communications in the region 3) to determine the degree of influence of geographical factors on the formation of the transport network of the region. The article examines the geographical factors that were of decisive importance in the formation and development of the transport network of the Far East: physical-geographical, natural-resources, foreign economic activity and geopolitical. The study of the characteristics of their manifestation allowed us to identify three stages within the Pre-Soviet period: Early Continental, Oceanic and Continental-Oceanic. The rationale for the identification of these stages, their characteristics, and the determination of the specificity and effectiveness of each of them, as well as the role of geographical factors in this process, constituted the novelty of the study.