ABSTRACT
It is now widely accepted that some form of land classification is required before soil or other detailed surveys are attempted in an area, if only to indicate those smaller and more manageable regions which would repay more detailed study. Furthermore, the progress of topographic mapping on medium scales generally 1:50,000-has been so rapid over much of tropical Africa during the last ten years that it is no longer necessary to formulate reconnaissance surveys on the basis that the territory is largely unmapped. It seems worth while to inquire into possible reasons for this, and to see whether any general statement concerning the variety of landform systems found within tropical Africa can be regarded as widely valid. It is believed that the elaboration of the etchplain concept of Wayland may assist in the understanding and designation of terrain types within this province of tropical Africa.
