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The Geographical Review April 1997, Vol. 87 (2), pp. 172-192 The Emerging Geographies of Virtual Worlds Jonathan Taylor ABSTRACT: The technology of virtual reality is producing new virtual worlds. These worlds are being created and utilized for a number of different purposes. Four main themes and application areas of virtual reality are: the arts and literature, the military, the preservation of aspects of reality, and finance or business. The technology of virtual reality is examined in these themes, and the differences as well as the linkages between them are explored. The growing importance of virtul worlds as a topic of geographical analysis is discussed. Keywords: computers, technology, virtual reality, virtual worlds. Mr. TAYLOR is a doctoral candidate in geography at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506 To contact the author: Jonathan Taylor Department of Geography 1457 Patterson Office Tower University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506-0027 Phone: (606) 257-6992, (606) 271-1525, (606) 323-1969 fax Email: jstayl0@pop.uky.edu