Landscapes and Landforms of Botswana
Landscapes and Landforms of Botswana

Author: Frank D. Eckardt

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-05-17

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 3030861023

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This volume contains 22 chapters introducing a wide range of semi-arid and geologic landscapes. Botswana, a thinly populated nation, the size of France, is a Southern African keystone country at the heart of the Kalahari, sharing some of the major sub-continental drainage basins such as the Limpopo, Zambezi, Orange, and Okavango with its neighbouring countries. The extensive Kalahari Sand surface has been sculptured by numerous past processes which have produced subtle but regional landforms consisting of extensive dunes and shorelines. Incipient rifting has created the dynamic Okavango and Makgadikgadi fan-basin systems which produces iconic wetlands with a world heritage status. Geological outcrops in particular to the east expose highly denuded basement lithologies which produces numerous inselbergs that are home to a rich archaeological heritage. The book also examines the geomorphology of mineral and water resources which sustain the economy and population and also features dedicated chapters that cover diamondiferous kimberlites, caves, pans, dams, duricrusts and wildlife. Chapter 6 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Landscapes and Landforms of South Africa
Landscapes and Landforms of South Africa

Author: Stefan Grab

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-03-05

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 3319035606

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This book presents a beautifully illustrated overview of the most prominent landscapes of South Africa and the distinctive landforms associated with them. It describes the processes, origins and the environmental significance of those landscapes, including their relationships to human activity of the past and present. The sites described in this book include, amongst others, the Blyde River Canyon, Augrabies Falls, Kruger National Park, Kalahari desert landscapes, the Great Escarpment, Sterkfontein caves and karst system, Table Mountain, Cape winelands, coastal dunes, rocky coasts, Boer War battlefield sites, and Vredefort impact structure. Landscapes and Landforms of South Africa provides a new perspective on South Africa’s scenic landscapes by considering their diversity, long and short term histories, and importance for geoconservation and geotourism. This book will be relevant to those interested in the geology, physical geography and history of South Africa, climate change and landscape tourism.

Health and Medical Geography in Africa
Health and Medical Geography in Africa

Author: Yemi Adewoyin

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-12-01

Total Pages: 503

ISBN-13: 3031412680

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This contributed volume focuses on the evolution and current state of the sub-discipline of health and medical geography in Africa. It encompasses theoretical and methodological issues as well as the current teaching and research capacities of institutions offering programs in health and medical geography in Africa. Further, the book will review the level of adoption of the sub-discipline in State policies and practice and also provide practical illustrations, with case studies, of how studies in the sub-discipline are central to the actualization of Africa's development agenda. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between health and development. Through its direct and indirect impacts on labor productivity, population health and wellbeing matter for the social and economic development of households and national economies. Yet, health is not uniform in space. And so is development. Comparatively on many health and development indicators, Africa fairs poorly. The variation in health may present as differences in the occurrence and spread of diseases, the distribution of and access to healthcare facilities, and/or in health outcomes among the population. Reasons for these variations range from biology to the population’s levels of exposure and susceptibility to elements in their environment, including the social interactions taking place within the environment. The field of health and medical geography focuses on the spatial patterns and processes underlying these variations and provides pathways for understanding and addressing them. More specifically, the sub-discipline of health and medical geography focuses on, among others, how places (their characteristics and processes that go on in them) and environmental factors underlie and/or influence disease patterns, exposure and susceptibility to diseases, health variations, health behavior, health outcomes, and the provision of and access to healthcare services. This volume documents perspectives and applications in health and medical geography in Africa for academics, students, health practitioners, and development policymakers.

Landscapes and Landforms of Ethiopia
Landscapes and Landforms of Ethiopia

Author: Paolo Billi

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-03-23

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 9401780269

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This book provides a succinct but comprehensive presentation of key geomorphological locations and topics including information about geomorphological heritage and maps to visit the most important sites. Apart from often being remarkably scenic, landscapes reveal stories that often can be traced back in time tens of million years and include unique events. This is particularly true for Ethiopia where spectacular examples of different landforms are present. Its geomorphology varies from highlands, marked by high volcanoes and incised by deep river gorges, to the rift valley lakes endorheic systems and the below sea level lowlands with characteristic landscapes which are unique in the world. Landscapes and Landforms of Ethiopia highlights all these topics including essential information about geology and tectonic framework, past and present climate, hydrology, geographical regions and long-term geomorphological history. It is a highly informative book, providing insight for readers with an interest in geography and geomorphology.

Southern African Landscapes and Environmental Change
Southern African Landscapes and Environmental Change

Author: Peter J. Holmes

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-07-04

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1134972393

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This volume provides a textbook and reference work on the physical and biotic landscapes of Southern Africa. It examines the links between these environments and the ways in which they have been, are and will likely be subject to change. It covers the geomorphology, soils, vegetation and land use across a range of landscapes, including mountains, coasts, savannah, drylands and wetlands, and identifies the impacts of current and potential climate change and other factors on these environments. The geographical focus is on the region defined by Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland. Illustrated throughout in full colour, the book will serve as a reference volume for researchers and environmental professionals internationally, as well as a textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate-level students of geography, ecology and environmental studies in Southern Africa.

Landscapes and Landforms of Namibia
Landscapes and Landforms of Namibia

Author: Andrew Goudie

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-10-15

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 940178020X

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The landscapes of Namibia are of world-class quality in beauty, diversity and interest. This book provides the first ever overview of the most important of these landscapes, explains why they look as they do, and evaluates why they are of note. Writing from a geomorphological perspective, the authors introduce the key processes and controls which influence landscape and landform development in Namibia. Geological and tectonic background, climate now and in the past, vegetation and animals (including humans) are all identified as crucial factors influencing the landscape of Namibia today. The book presents twenty one richly-illustrated case studies of the most significant landscapes of Namibia, ranging from the iconic Etosha Pan at the heart of the biggest wildlife conservation area in the north, to the famous dunes and ephemeral river at Sossus Vlei in the heart of the Namib desert. Each case study also contains a full list of the key references to the scientific work on that landscape. The authors provide an assessment of the current state of conservation of these landscapes, and their importance to tourism. The book is recommended reading for anyone with a professional or amateur interest in the spectacular and intriguing landscapes of this part of southern Africa. It provides a useful handbook for those travelling around Namibia, and an invaluable reference guide for those interested in how landscapes develop and change.

Botswana in Pictures
Botswana in Pictures

Author: Alison Behnke

Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 1575059533

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Describes the people, geography, and history of Botswana.