The World Today: Concepts and Regions in Geography

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Title Page
Copyright
Brief Contents
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction: World Regional Geography
	A World on Maps
		Maps in Our Minds
		Mapping Revolutions
		Technology & Geography: Geospatial Data: Understanding Our World
		Geography’s Perspective
		Environment and Society
		Spatial Patterns
		Scale and Scope
	World Geographic Realms
		Criteria for Geographic Realms
		Delineating Realms: Boundaries and Transition Zones
		Geographic Realms: Dynamic Entities
		Two Types of Realms
	Regions Within Realms
		Criteria for Regions
		Interconnections
		The Physical Setting
	Natural Landscapes
		Geology and Natural Hazards
		Climate
		Global Climate Change: The Anthropocene
	Realms of Population
		Major Population Clusters
		Toward an Urban World
	Realms of Culture
		The Geography of Language
		Landscapes of Religion
	A World of States
		The European Origins of the Modern State
		Power and Geopolitics
	Geographies of Development
		Development in Spatial Perspective
		A Complex, Core–Periphery World
		Uneven Development and Spatial Inequalities
	Globalization
		Globalization and Environmental Challenges
		Globalization and Population Movements
		Geographic Information Analysis: The Geography Of CO2 Emissions
	Regional and Thematic Geographies
		Geographic Information Analysis: Global Migration Flows
Chapter 2: The North American Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
	Population Clusters
	North America’s Physiography
		Physiographic Regions
		Climate
		Global Climate Change in North America
		Great Lakes and Great Rivers
	Native Americans and European Settlement
		Cultural Foundations of the New Americans: Reality and Myth
	The Federal Map of North America
	The Distribution of Natural Resources
	Urbanization and the Spatial Economy
		Industrial Cities
		Realm of Railroads
		Deindustrialization and Suburbanization
	The Information Economy and City Regions
		The Polycentric Metropolis
	Geographies of Inequality
		Technology & Geography: GPS, Sensors, and Self-Driving Cars
		Geographic Information Analysis: Geography and Elections in the United States
	The Making of a Multicultural Realm
		Historical Patterns of Mobility and Immigration
		Geographic Information Analysis: Race and Housing Values in Los Angeles
		The Challenge of Multiculturalism
	Regionalism in Canada: Divisive Forces
		Canada’s Spatial Structure
		Cultural Contrasts
		Canada’s Indigenous Peoples
	Regionalism and Ethnicity in the United States
	REGIONS OF NORTH AMERICA
		Region The Northeast (1)
		Region North Atlantic Coast (2)
		Region French Canada (3)
		Region The Southeast (4)
		Region The Southwest (5)
		Region The West Coast (6)
		Region The Rocky Mountains Region (7)
		Region The Midwest (8)
		Region The Northern Frontier (9)
Chapter 3: The Middle American Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
		A Realm of High Densities and Cultural Diversity
		The “Latin” America Misnomer
	The Realm’s Northern Boundary
		A Troubled Border Zone
	Physical Geography of Middle America
		A Land Bridge
		Island Chains
		Challenging Terrain and Atmosphere
		Altitudinal Zonation of Environments
		Tropical Deforestation
	Cultural Geography
		Mesoamerican Legacy
		Spanish Conquest
		Collision of Cultures
	Political and Economic Fragmentation
		Independence
		Regional Contrasts
		Small-Island Developing Economies
		The Push for Regional Integration
		The Importance of Regional Connections
		Geographic Information Analysis: Connectivity and Economic Development in Middle America
	REGIONS OF MIDDLE AMERICA
		Region Mexico
			Physiography
			Regional Diversity
			Population and Urbanization Patterns
			A Mix of Cultures
			Agriculture: Fragmented Modernization
			Evolving Economic Geographies
			States of Contrast
			The Drug Wars
		Region The Central American Republics
			A Land Bridge
			Trapped in the Narcotics Trade
			Guatemala
			Belize
			Honduras
			El Salvador
			Panama
			Technology & Geography: The Shipping Container
			Geographic Information Analysis: Remittances Between the United States and Middle America
			Nicaragua
			Costa Rica
			The Caribbean Basin
			Fragmentation, Insularity, and Vulnerability
			Social Cleavages
		Region The Greater Antilles
			Cuba
			Jamaica
			Haiti
			Dominican Republic
			Puerto Rico
		Region The Lesser Antilles
Chapter 4: The South American Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
		Explorers’ Continent
		Myriad Climates and Habitats
	States Ancient and Modern
		The Inca State
		The Iberian Invaders
		Independence and Isolation
		The Population Map—Then and Now
	Cultural Geographies
		Indigenous Reawakening
		African Descendants
		Ethnic Landscapes
	Economic Geography
		Agricultural Land Use and Deforestation
		Technology & Geography: Remote Sensing and Deforestation
		The Geography of Cocaine
		Industrial Development
		Economic Integration
		Dependence on Raw Materials
	Urbanization and Its Regional Expressions
		Rural-to-Urban Migration
		Regional Patterns
		Problems of Inequality
	The United States and China in South America
		The Shadow of the United States
		China’s Growing Economic Clout
		Geographic Information Analysis: Income Inequality in South American States and Cities
	REGIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA
		Region The Caribbean North
			Colombia
			Venezuela
			The “Three Guianas
		Region The Andean West
			Peru
			Ecuador
			Bolivia
			Global Climate Change on Bolivia’s Altiplano
			Paraguay
		Region The Southern Cone
			Argentina
			Geographic Information Analysis: Wine Growing Regions of the World
			Uruguay
		Region Brazil: Giant of South America
			Population and Culture
			Inequality and Poverty
			Development Prospects
			Brazil’s Subregions
Chapter 5: The European Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
	Physical Geography
		Global Climate Change in Europe
		Locational Advantages
		Technology & Geography: What is GIS
	Modern Historical Geography
		The Industrial Revolution
		Political Transformations
	Contemporary Europe: A Dynamic Realm
		Cultural Diversity
		Spatial Interaction
		A Highly Urbanized Realm
	European Unification
		Postwar Motivations
		The Unification Process
	Consequences of Unification
		One Market
		A New Economic Geography
		Diminished State Power and New Regionalism
	Recent Challenges of Integration
		The Changing Risks of Expansion
		The Challenges of a Single Currency
		“Brexit”: A Historic Referendum
		The Remaining Outsiders
	European Geopolitics
		NATO Expansion
		Geopolitics in the Baltics
		Europe’s Refugee Crisis
		The Specter of Islamic Terror in Europe
		Geographic Information Analysis: Demography is Destiny?
	Migration, Multicultural Challenges, and Prospects of Integration
		Immigration from Outside the EU
		Migration Within the EU
	REGIONS OF EUROPE
		Region Western Europe
			Germany
			France
			Benelux
			The Alpine States
			The Czech Republic
			The United Kingdom (UK
			Republic of Ireland
		Region Northern Europe
			Sweden
			Norway
			Denmark
			Finland
			Iceland
		Region Mediterranean Europe
			Spain and Portugal
			Italy
			Slovenia and Croatia
			Greece, Cyprus, and Malta
		Region Eastern Europe
			The Balkans
			East-Central Europe
			The Baltic States
			The Eastern Periphery
			Geographic Information Analysis: Ukraine: A Linguistic and Economic Transition Zone
	Europe’s Future Prospects
Chapter 6: The Russian/Central Asian Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
	Physical Geography of Russia/Central Asia
		Physiographic Regions
		Climate and Vegetation
		Climates and Peoples
		Climate Change and Arctic Prospects
		Global Climate Change in Russia
		Ecologies at Risk
		Technology & Geography: Russia’s Nuclear Icebreakers in the Arctic Ocean
		Natural Resources of Russia and Central Asia
	Russia’s Czarist Roots
		Grand Duchy of Muscovy
		Eighteenth-Century Czarist Russia
		Nineteenth-Century Expansion
		A Multinational Empire
	The Soviet Experiment (1922–1991)
		The Soviet Territorial Framework
		The Soviet Economic Framework
		The Downfall of the Soviet Union
	Post-Soviet Russia and the Near Abroad
		A Complex Cultural Mosaic
		The Near Abroad
		Playing Russia’s Energy Card
		Militarizing the Arctic
	REGIONS OF RUSSIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
		The New Russia
			Russia’s Political-Administrative Structure
			Russia’s Shrinking Population
			A Volatile and Uneven Economy
			Geographic Information Analysis: Population Change Across Russia
		Region The Russian Core
			Central Industrial Region
			Povolzhye: The Volga Region
			The Urals Region
		Region Southern Siberia
			The Kuznetsk Basin (Kuzbas
			The Lake Baikal Area (Baikaliya
		Region Northern Siberia
		Region The Russian Far East
		Region Transcaucasia
			Russia’s Internal Periphery and the Case of Chechnya
			Russia’s External Periphery
			Geographic Information Analysis: Ethnic Geographies of Southern Russia and Transcaucasia
		Region Central Asia
			A New Silk Road?
Chapter 7: The North African/Southwest Asian Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
	Ancient Hearths of Cultures
		Dimensions of Culture
		Rivers and Communities
	Stage for Islam
		The Faith
		The Arab-Islamic Empire
		Islam and Other Religions
		Islam Divided
	The Ottoman Empire and Its Aftermath
	Economic Geography
		The Power and Peril of Oil
		Winners and Losers
		A Foreign Invasion
		The Impact of Oil Across the Realm
		Technology & Geography: Global Water Needs and Desalination
		Oil-Generated Inequalities
	Pervasive Political Geographies
		The Absence of Democratic Traditions
		The Arab Spring of 2011
		Geographic Information Analysis: Development and Democracy
		Unfulfilled Arab-Spring Promises
	Politics and Religion
		Terrorism in the Name of Islam
		ISIS: From International Network to Territorial State, and Back
	The Refugee Problem
		A Realm in Turmoil
	REGIONS OF NORTH AFRICA/SOUTHWEST ASIA
		Region Egypt and the Lower Nile Basin
			Gift of the Nile
			Political Upheaval and Economic Challenges
			Sudan
		Region The Middle East
			Iraq’s Enduring Importance
			Syria
			Jordan
			Lebanon
			Israel and the Palestinian Territories
		Region The Arabian Peninsula
			Saudi Arabia
			The Gulf States
			Yemen
		Region The Empire States
			Turkey
			Iran
		Region The Maghreb and Its Neighbors
			The Maghreb Countries
			Libya
			Adjoining Saharan Africa
		Region The African Transition Zone
			The Horn of Africa
Chapter 8: The Subsaharan  African Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
	Africa’s Physiography
		Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics
	Africa’s Historical Geography
		African Genesis
		Early Trade
		Early States
		Beyond West Africa
		Geographic Information Analysis: Ethnic Groups of
 Subsaharan Africa
		The Colonial Transformation
		Impact of the Slave Trade
		Colonization
	Human–Environment Relations
		Colonial Legacy
		The Geography of Farming
	Population and Health
		Epidemics and Pandemics
		Major Advances in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS
		Ebola Crises
	Cultural Geographies
		African Languages
		Religion
	Urbanization and Africa’s Dual Economies
		Urban Housing Innovations: The i-Shack
	Africa Rising?
		China’s Role in Emerging Africa
		Geographic Information Analysis: China’s Exports to
 Subsaharan Africa
		Africa’s Pressing Need for Supranational Cooperation
	REGIONS OF SUBSAHARAN AFRICA
		Region West Africa
			Nigeria
			Coast and Interior
		Region East Africa
			Tanzania
			Ethiopia
			Uganda
			Rwanda and Burundi
			Kenya
			Madagascar
		Region Equatorial Africa
			Technology & Geography: Mobile Money in Subsaharan
 Africa
			The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRCongo
			Across the River
			South Sudan
		Region Southern Africa
			Africa’s Resource-Rich Region
			The Northern Tier
			Global Climate Change in Subsaharan Africa
			The Middle Tier
			South Africa
Chapter 9: The South Asian Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
	South Asia’s Physiography
		A Tectonic Encounter
		The Monsoon
		Physiographic Regions
	Birthplace of Civilizations and Religions
		Indus Valley Civilization
		Aryans and the Origins of Hinduism
		Buddhism and Other Indigenous Religions
	Foreign Invaders
		The Reach of Islam
		The European Intrusion
	The Geopolitics of Modern South Asia
		Partition and Independence
		India–Pakistan
		Contested Kashmir
		Afghanistan-Pakistan-India: A Dangerous Triad
		India–China Relations
	Emerging Markets and Fragmented Modernization
		Technology & Geography: Drones of War
		Economic Liberalization
		The Significance of Agriculture
		Geographic Information Analysis: Comparing the Megacities of Dhaka and Los Angeles
	South Asia’s Population Geography
		Population Density and the Question of Overpopulation
		The Demographic Transition
		Demographic Burdens
		Global Climate Change in South Asia
		Gender Bias: The Missing Girls
		Geographic Information Analysis: Female/Male Sex Ratios across India
	REGIONS OF SOUTH ASIA
		Region The West: Afghanistan’s Transition Zone
			The Emergence of the Taliban and Al Qaeda
			The U.S.-Led Invasion of Afghanistan and Its Aftermath
		Region The West: Pakistan
			A Hard Place to Govern
			The Four Subregions of Pakistan
		Region India: Giant of the Realm
			A Federation of States and Peoples
			India’s Changing Map
			Communal Tensions
			The Caste System
			Economic Geography
			Urbanization
		Region Bangladesh
			A Vulnerable Territory
			Limited Opportunities, Creative Development
 Strategies
		Region The Northern Mountain States
			Nepal
			Bhutan
		Region The Southern Islands
			The Maldives
			Sri Lanka: A Fragile Ethnic Mosaic
Chapter 10: The East Asian Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
		Geographic Dimensions
		China’s Dominance
	Environment and Population
		The Great Rivers
		Along the Coast
		Natural Resources
	Peoples of the East Asian Realm
		Global Climate Change in China
		War and Revolution in the Twentieth Century
		Communist China
	East Asia’s Economic Transformation
		Japan: From Military Defeat to Economic Prowess
		The Asian Tigers
		China’s Economic Miracle
	East Asia’s Population Dynamics
		Economic Growth and Demography
		Changing Demographics: A Moving Target
		The Rise and Demise of China’s One-Child Policy
		Evolving Gender Relations in East Asia
	Geopolitics in East Asia Today
		Sino-Japanese Relations
		The Korea Factor
		Taiwan: The Other China
		Geographic Information Analysis: Where Can North Korea’s Missiles Reach?
		Mongolia’s Place in East Asia Today
	China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
	REGIONS OF EAST ASIA
		The People’s Republic of China (PRC)
			Political-Administrative Divisions
			China’s “Capitalist” Turn
			China’s Urban Transformation
			Technology & Geography: High-Speed Rail in China
			Geographic Information Analysis: Urbanization and Economic Growth in China
		Region China’s Coastal Core
			Special Economic Zones
			Regional Engines of Growth
			Coastal Core Expansion
			Geographic Information Analysis: Population Change in the Pearl River Delta
		Region China’s Interior
			The Northeast
			Central China
			The South
		Region China’s Western Periphery
			Xizang (Tibet)
			Xinjiang
		Region Mongolia
		Region The Korean Peninsula
			North Korea
			South Korea
		Region Japan
			Coastal Development
			A Trading Nation
			Japan’s Slowdown
		Region Taiwan
			Taiwan’s Island Geography
Chapter 11: The Southeast Asian Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
		A Geographic Overview
	Physical Geography
		Exceptional Borneo
		Relative Location and Biodiversity
		Four Major Rivers
	Population Geography
	Cultural Geographies
		Religions of Southeast Asia
		The Ethnic Mosaic
	Economic Geography of Southeast Asia
		Southeast Asia’s Emerging Markets
		Singapore’s Leadership
		Prospects of Realm-Wide Integration: ASEAN
		China in Southeast Asia Today
		Geographic Information Analysis: Trade Patterns in Southeast Asia
	Geopolitics in Southeast Asia
		The Impact of Colonialism Before 1950
		Southeast Asia in the Cold War
		Political–Territorial Configurations
		Hybrid Warfare in the South China Sea
		Geographic Information Analysis: Maritime Claims in the South China Sea
	REGIONS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
		Region Mainland Southeast Asia
			Vietnam
			Cambodia
			Technology & Geography: Making the Invisible Visible—LiDAR at Cambodia’s Angkor Wat
			Laos
			Thailand
			Myanmar
			Global Climate Change in Myanmar
		Region Insular Southeast Asia
			Malaysia
			Brunei
			Singapore
			Indonesia
			East Timor
			The Philippines
Chapter 12: The Austral Realm
	DEFINING THE REALM
		Physiography of the Austral Realm
		Climates
		The Southern Ocean
		Biogeography
		The Realm’s Asian Turn
	REGIONS OF THE AUSTRAL REALM
	Region Australia
		Administrative Framework
		Spatial Organization
		Australia’s Economic Geography
		Australia’s Environmental Problems
		Global Climate Change in Australia
		Australia’s Aboriginal Challenge
		Geographic Information Analysis: The Aboriginal Population Distribution
		Australia’s Place in the World
	New Zealand
		Physiography
		Social Geography
		The Maori Factor and New Zealand’s Future
Chapter 13: The Pacific Realm and Polar Regions
	DEFINING THE PACIFIC REALM
		Colonization and Independence in the Pacific Realm
		Technology & Geography: The Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific
	The Pacific Realm and Its Marine Geography
		The State at Sea
		UNCLOS Intervention
	REGIONS OF THE PACIFIC REALM
	Region Melanesia
	Region Micronesia
	Region Polynesia
		Global Climate Change in the Pacific
	THE POLAR REGIONS
		Partitioning the Antarctic
		Geopolitics and Global Climate Change in the Arctic Basin
		A Polar Sea Surrounded by Northern Countries
		Disputation and Navigation
		Geographic Information Analysis: The Shrinking North Polar Icecap
Appendix: Metric (Standard International [SI]) and Customary Units and Their Conversions
Glossary
Index
EULA