TRANSITIONS IN THE MEANINGS OF FRONTIERS - FROM SETTLEMENT ADVANCE TOREGIONAL-DEVELOPMENT

The connotations and meanings of the term ''frontier'' have undergone several transitions, mainly from border areas through advance settleme nt regions to developing regions. These transitions are highlighted in several ways: tracing the idea of the frontier back to its original m eanings; providing a critical perspective on experiments for redefinit ions of frontiers and, finally, drawing some conclusions from these re definitions, notably in light of the evolving global economy.