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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 August 2015
The structure and evolution of the Galaxy are reviewed in terms of interactions among various components, including its immediate surroundings. Emphasis is given to the large-scale processes responsible for star formation and chemical evolution, which are seen to be controlled by interactions between the ISM and other components and by gas flows. A model for formation of the Galaxy is outlined, in which the spheroidal component results from mergers of former small galaxies, and the disk has been accreted from outlying diffuse matter.