This is an advanced, full length, physical geography of Africa, written by a distinguished international team of scholars. The first group of chapters identify pan-African patterns in the physical environment and those physical attributes that are distinctive to Africa. In the second group of chapters topics such as geomorphology, biogeography, environmental change and hydrology are considered within the context of the major biomes. The final chapters explore topical issues such as soil erosion, desertification, biodiversification and depletion, and conservation and development.

An exploration of the enduring influence of the colonial legacy on attitudes about relationships between people and nature in countries that were once part of the British Empire, either at the periphery or the centre. Colonial annexation and government were accompanied by the colonization and exploitation of nature, both for production and even in the name of conservation. At the start of the 21st century, the conservation of nature is still of vital importance in these countries, but what should this conservation look like? What ideas can it be based upon? This work argues that there is a...