Since the publication of the last edition of this popular book, the world's political geography has changed dramatically. The refugee population has mushroomed. Migrations relocate millions every year. Onslaughts on tropical forests continue and overexploitation threatens maritime resources. This edition has been completely revised to reflect these transformations. The geography dimension has been strengthened through the expansion of material on Earth origins, crustal evolution and erosional processes. Increased attention is given to such topics as climate change, weather extremes, biogeography and resource questions. The second half has been recast, notably in the urban, economic and political chapters. The cartography is totally new and photographs are drawn from the author's field collection. This text includes full-color art and design and is organized into 30 brief eight-to-ten page chapters.