Robert B. Kent is Chair and Professor of Geography and Planning at the University of Akron. He earned a BA and MA from the University of California, Davis, and a PhD from Syracuse University. His research and publications have focused broadly on the human geography of Latin America, especially the Andes and Central America, and on the evolving geography of Latin Americans in the United States. He has traveled, lived, and worked throughout Latin America, including 3 years as an urban and regional planner in Peru for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and has worked as a consultant for USAID in Bolivia on numerous occasions. He has been a Fulbright Scholar at the Universidad Nacional de San Juan in San Juan, Argentina, and at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He is a past chair of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers and a past councillor and treasurer of the Association of American Geographers. Dr. Kent is the editor of Region in Transition: An Economic and Social Atlas of Northeast Ohio and a coeditor of Regional Development and Planning for the 21st Century, and he has published numerous articles and book chapters on regional development, urban planning, cartography, GIS, and cultural geography.

Introduction 000 20

Latin America as a Culture Region 000 21

The Environment 000 43

The Hispanic Caribbean 000 65

Peopling Latin America to 1820 000 73

The Mesa Central of Mexico 000 92

Early Cities and Urban Development 000 113

The Andes 000 131

Brazils Atlantic Coastal Plain 000 236

Contemporary Cities and Urban Patterns 000 246

The Southern Brazilian Highlands 000 271

Latin American Development in Perspective 000 292

The Pampa 000 321

Latin America in the World Economy 000 341

The Amazon Basin 000 348

The Latin American Diaspora 000 373




자세히
Migration Population Change and Race 000 154

The Central Valley of Chile 000 179

The Central American Highlands 000 187

Land and People since the Conquest 000 233

Conclusion 000 391

Chapter Notes and Additional Sources 000 397

Index 000 398

This is a book to make one think--about how regions, places, people, and landscapes take shape and how they change. In a skillful blending of thematic chapters and regional vignettes, Kent demonstrates mastery of a huge bibliographic base, and also a personal, intimate knowledge of the complex macro-region that is Latin America. This is an innovative, up-to-date text that will be warmly welcomed by those who teach geography and Latin American studies."--David J. Robinson, Department of Geography, Syracuse University

"Kent provides a refreshingly new perspective on a complex and fascinating region. This is a great text for teaching Latin American geography, with lots of informative pictures, data tables, and maps that help to bring this complex environment sharply into focus. With discussions of such important issues as globalization, environmental change, and cultural continuity, students will enjoy the book's easy-to-read approach and crisp visual imagery. Highly recommended!"--David J. Keeling, Department of Geography and Geology, Western Kentucky University

"This book offers a well-crafted blend of topics and themes that serves as a nicely seasoned introduction to the geographical diversity of Latin America. The many regional vignettes in the book add ample spice to the comprehensive coverage of the people, places, and environment of this important world region."--Karl Zimmerer, Department of Geography and Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"This book is suffused with Kent’s passion for and deep knowledge of Latin America, born out of his 30 years of work, research, and travel in the area. It covers an immense range in terms of both the regions and the topics addressed, making it an excellent teaching text and reference. The book will support a wide range of teaching options, but will be particularly helpful for introductory courses on Latin America. The writing style will help stir interest even among those students unconvinced of the virtues of engaging deeply with this fascinating, wonderful, and perplexing part of the world. This is a book many of us will want on our shelves as a source for those pieces of information so often needed in our research but rarely at our fingertips."--Anthony Bebbington, School of Environment and Development, University of Manchester, UK




"A welcome addition to the regional geography genre, with traditional thematic coverage nicely interwoven with analyses of linkages to both the local and the global environments....Flow maps, graphs, tables, and photographs augment the discussion and provide excellent visual support for the various explications of people and place....A sensitive treatment of a profoundly complex yet incredibly fascinating region. Kent's love of its place and people shines through....This book offers scholars and students looking for a regionally informed approach to Latin America terrific insights into the internal and external complexities of peoples and places. It provides a very traditional, descriptive framework for analysis and discourse that is enhanced nicely by broader and deeper examinations of both the whole and the parts that are Latin America....Provides, especially for students in an introductory course, an informative and very readable overview of both place and its context."--Journal of Regional Science
(Journal of Regional Science 2006-01-26)