This comprehensive text introduces key geographical concepts while providing an incisive, timely, and highly informative primer on Latin America. Thematic chapters trace the development of the region from the pre-Hispanic era to the present, while regional chapters reveal the diversity of its constituent people and places. Coverage includes cultural history; environment and physical geography; land use, agriculture, and urbanization; social and economic processes; and the Latin American diaspora. Enhancing the utility of the text are quick-reference tables and illustrative vignettes, over 160 photographs and maps, and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter.