This book has been written primarily as a geography of Latin America and the Caribbean, but is also intended to serve as an interdisciplinary introduction to the region. The material is organized topically rather than regionally. One of the principal advantages of a thematic approach is its capacity to place current developments in their historical contexts, enabling the reader to know not only what things are like, but how they came to be that way. The focus of this volume is on comprehension of concepts, patterns, and issues rather than on memorization of facts and figures. The latter are provided, but they are intended primarily to illustrate the underlying conditions rather than to serve as the focus of the text. The text is designed for maximum flexibility. Written to be readable for beginning students, it is also generously documented with scholarly references for the research needs of advanced undergraduate and graduate students. The individual chapters can be used in all or in part and in any order. The volume is suitable to either single term or multiterm courses.