  The quantum Hall effect is investigated in a high-mobility two-dimensional
electron gas on the surface of a cylinder. The novel topology leads to a
spatially varying filling factor along the current path. The resulting
inhomogeneous current-density distribution gives rise to additional features in
the magneto-transport, such as resistance asymmetry and modified longitudinal
resistances. We experimentally demonstrate that the asymmetry relations
satisfied in the integer filling factor regime are valid also in the transition
regime to non-integer filling factors, thereby suggesting a more general form
of these asymmetry relations. A model is developed based on the screening
theory of the integer quantum Hall effect that allows the self-consistent
calculation of the local electron density and thereby the local current density
including the current along incompressible stripes. The model, which also
includes the so-called `static skin effect' to account for the current density
distribution in the compressible regions, is capable of explaining the main
experimental observations. Due to the existence of an
incompressible-compressible transition in the bulk, the system behaves always
metal-like in contrast to the conventional Landauer-Buettiker description, in
which the bulk remains completely insulating throughout the quantized Hall
plateau regime.
