View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Georgia State University Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Geosciences Faculty Publications Department of Geosciences 2002 International Telephone Calls: Global and Regional Patterns Risa Palm Georgia State University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/geosciences_facpub Part of the Geography Commons, and the Geology Commons Recommended Citation Risa Palm. International Telephone Calls: Global and Regional Patterns. Urban Geography 23(8),750-770, 2002. DOI:10.2747/ 0272-3638.23.8.750 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Geosciences at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Geosciences Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE CALLS: GLOBAL AND REGIONAL PATTERNS1 Risa Palm2 College of Arts and Sciences University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Abstract: This study examines patterns in international telephone communications, documenting a close relationship between international call volume aggregated by nation and indicators of global connectivity including volume of international trade, tourism and migration. In addition, the analysis documents the existence of a set of national “communities” of callers. The clear orientation of large portions of the world to former colonial powers (e.g., West Africa and North Africa to France), and the separation of the Muslim Middle East and the Chinese-speaking nations of East and Southeast Asia from other calling communities suggest the importance of continuing historic and cultural influences on information flows.