International trade

The history of Geography is characterized by a long-standing interest on the international and spatial dimension of commercial activities. One of the earliest and most influential geography books was A Handbook of Commercial Geography written by George Chisholm in 1889. Chisholm’s book quickly became a handbook for British merchants, traders and manufacturers (Barnes, 2002). Hence from the start, geographers’ interest in international trade was motivated by its potential for socio-economic relevancy and the relation of national production to international development and competition.