ABSTRACT

This volume presents a global view of today's most pressing issues through an analysis of the twelve major regions of the world. Environmental degradation, natural catastrophe, population pressures and human conflict all impact in different ways and to different degrees on the society and environment of these regions. Economic and political restructuring within each region is covered, and topics include: natural resources; agriculture; industry and services; the role of the military; and the impact of global economic change. This work is intended as an introduction for students studying the changing geography of the world, but should also provide a useful overview to students researching specific regions, seeking comparative analysis of regions, or following general courses on the economic and political geography of both the post-industrial and the developing worlds. Over 250 photographs, maps and figures complement a range of boxed case-studies, key points, questions and guides to further reading.

chapter 1|8 pages

Introduction

chapter |13 pages

PLATE 1.2 Local icons and folk craft

chapter 2|7 pages

A brief history of the world since 1500

chapter 3|18 pages

Population and resources

chapter 4|1 pages

Global contrasts

chapter |3 pages

TABLE 4.1 The development gap

chapter |2 pages

PLATE 4.1 West African schools

chapter |8 pages

PLATE 4.3 ‘The Money Spider’

chapter 5|3 pages

The European Union and EFTA

chapter 6|6 pages

Countries of Western and Central Europe

chapter |7 pages

PLATE 6.2 Central Europe: Hungary

chapter 7|3 pages

The former USSR

chapter |8 pages

PLATE 7.5 Former USSR

chapter 8|3 pages

Japan and the Korean Republic

chapter 9|1 pages

The USA

chapter |2 pages

TABLE 9.1 United States calendar

chapter 10|4 pages

Canada and Oceania

chapter 11|14 pages

Latin America

chapter |5 pages

FIGURE 11.4 Economic map of Mexico

chapter 12|6 pages

Africa south of the Sahara

chapter |3 pages

PLATE 12.2 Agriculture

chapter 13|2 pages

North Africa and Southwest Asia

chapter |5 pages

FIGURE 13.7 Oil in Southwest Asia

chapter 4|8 pages

teen South Asia

chapter |1 pages

FIGURE 14.2 The states of India

chapter |1 pages

FIGURE 14.3 Economic map of India

chapter |15 pages

PLATE 14.1 South Asia: rural and urban

chapter 15|3 pages

Southeast Asia

chapter 6|1 pages

teen China and its neighbours

chapter 17|11 pages

Regional prospects

chapter 38|3 pages

first-century earth

chapter |4 pages

Glossary

chapter |1 pages

List of illustrations

(a) Naive painting of a school in Haiti 3

chapter |12 pages

Further reading