List of Maps xi

Preface xii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: Sub- Saharan Africa 7

What Is Sub- Saharan Africa? 7

Beginnings 9

The Human Journey Across Tropical Africa 16

Dryland Kingdoms 18

Ethiopia and East Africa 22

The European Input 26

Sub- Saharan Africa in the Anthropocene 28

References 30

Global Themes

1.1 Disease 10

1.2 Climate 13

1.3 Globalizations 23

Chapter 2: North Africa and Southwest Asia 35

What Is North Africa and Southwest Asia? 35

The Early Levant 39

The Great Rivers 43

The Ancient Eastern Mediterranean 47

The Arab World 50

North Africa and Southwest Asia in the Anthropocene 54

References 56

Global Themes

2.1 Deserts 36

2.2 Domestications 41

2.3 The 4.2 ka event 45

Chapter 3: Europe 61

What Is Europe? 61

The Earliest Europeans 63

Southern Europe 68

Northern Europe 73

Europe in the Anthropocene 76

References 80

Global Themes

3.1 Hunting and gathering 67

3.2 Anthropogenic landscapes 70

3.3 Smoke pollution 77

Chapter 4: The Russian Domain 85

What Is the Russian Domain? 85

Eastern Europe and the Steppe 87

The Russian Core 92

The Russian Periphery: Siberia 95

The Russian Periphery: The Caucasus 99

The Russian Domain in the Anthropocene 100

References 104

Global Themes

4.1 Grasslands 89

4.2 Cold climates 97

4.3 The birth of the oil industry 101

Chapter 5: Central Asia 109

What Is Central Asia? 109

The Nomads' Territory 111

Northwest China and the Silk Road 113

Iranians and Turks, Arabs and Mongols 119

Central Asia in the Anthropocene 124

References 128

Global Themes

5.1 Pastoralists 114

5.2 Languages 120

5.3 Irrigation 126

Chapter 6: East Asia 133

What Is East Asia? 133

China's First Core: The Yellow River 135

China's Second Core: The Yangzi River 139

The Northeast 144

East Asia in the Anthropocene 149

References 151

Global Themes

6.1 Erosion 137

6.2 Transportation 142

6.3 Volcanoes 148

Chapter 7: South Asia 155

What Is South Asia? 155

The Indus Valley 157

The Ganges Valley 159

Peninsular India 161

South Asia's Second Millennium 165

South Asia in the Anthropocene 167

References 174

Global Themes

7.1 Religions 163

7.2 Famine 168

7.3 The Demographic Transition 170

Chapter 8: Southeast Asia 177

What Is Southeast Asia? 177

The Mainland: Foundations 179

The Mainland: The Mandala Kingdoms 183

Insular Southeast Asia 188

Southeast Asia in the Anthropocene 193

References 195

Global Themes

8.1 Swidden cultivation 181

8.2 Slaveries 186

8.3 Cities 190

Chapter 9: Australia and Oceania 199

What Is Australia and Oceania? 199

Sahul (Australia and New Guinea) 202

Ancient Oceania 207

Modern Pacific Geographies 210

Australia and Oceania in the Anthropocene 212

References 216

Global Themes

9.1 Islands 200

9.2 Geographies 205

9.3 Anthropology 213

Chapter 10: North America 221

What Is North America? 221

Prehistoric Geographies 223

Horses and Cattle: The Mexican Pattern 231

Private Land: The US Pattern 234

North America in the Anthropocene 239

References 241

Global Themes

10.1 Archaeology 225

10.2 The Little Ice Age 229

10.3 Frontiers 238

Chapter 11: Latin America 247

What Is Latin America? 247

Origins 249

Geographies of Social Complexity 252

Colonial Encounters 257

Latin America in the Anthropocene 262

References 263

Global Themes

11.1 Rivers 250

11.2 Highlands and hills 256

11.3 The potato and its impact 259

Chapter 12: The Caribbean 269

What Is the Caribbean? 269

The Archaic Caribbean 271

Colonial Geographies: 1500- 1650 275

Colonial Geographies: 1650- 1850 279

The Caribbean in the Anthropocene 284

References 286

Global Themes

12.1 Winds 271

12.2 Paleogenetics 277

12.3 Diaspora 283

Conclusion 289

Index 292

World Historical Geography

Regional Trends and Global Themes