METROPOLITAN POPULATION-CHANGE IN RUSSIA AND THE FORMER SOVIET-UNION,1897-1997

An authority on population change and urbanization in the countries of the former USSR assesses metropolitan population trends in Russia and the FSU over the period 1897-1997, focusing on the most recent period 1970-1997. The paper also examines internal population shifts within metropolitan areas-defined as an area of over one million in populatio n consisting of a central city plus other urban centers of over 15,000 population within a 50-mile radius. Metropolitan processes in Russia and the FSU are compared with those in other major world metropolitan areas based on a comparable definition of ''metropolitan.''.