Vidal de la Blache, Paul

(1845-1918)

   geographer

   Born in Pézenas, Paul Vidal de la Blache was the founder of the "Annales de géographie" (1891) and the French school of geography. He assigned a particular importance to regional monographs, always stressing the relationship of physical geography to the human. His best-known work is Tableau de la géographie de la France (1903), first published as an introduction to Histoire de France and later published separately. He also wrote Principes de géographie humaine (unfinished). under his direction was later edited and published Géographie universelle (1927-48), which is a collaboration with a number of other noted geographers.