World Historical Geography
Regional Trends and Global Themes
1. Auflage April 2026
320 Seiten, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
A groundbreaking guide to world history through regional geography and interdisciplinary insight
World Historical Geography: Regional Trends and Global Themes examines world history through the lens of geography, where landforms, climates, and spatial relationships are not background elements but central agents of change. Bridging the humanities and natural sciences, this unique textbook integrates recent research in paleoclimatology, paleogenetics, and archaeology to uncover how physical and human geographies have shaped distinct historical trajectories across the globe. By foregrounding geography as both context and catalyst, Jaime Moreno-Tejada equips students to think critically about historical causality and regional specificity from a global perspective.
The text divides the world into twelve regions and follows a geographic path from Sub-Saharan Africa to the Caribbean. Each chapter identifies a dominant regional trend--including climate variation, political centralization, or mobility--and weaves it into a broader historical narrative. Throughout the book, 36 concise, interdisciplinary micro-essays (Global Themes) explore key concepts such as domestication, rivers, slavery, and ethnogenesis, both complementing the core material and providing flexible entry points for thematic exploration.
Providing a grounded yet expansive understanding of how geography continues to inform the human story, World Historical Geography: Regional Trends and Global Themes:
* Uses an interdisciplinary approach that connects environmental history, human geography, and historical narratives
* Emphasizes reflexive learning, with each chapter prompting students to question regional boundaries and pursue transregional connections.
* Organized regionally, with each chapter centered on one or two historical-geographic trends for targeted understanding
* Includes questions designed to foster both regional insight and global comparison at the end of each chapter
Offering unique global scope while maintaining depth of analysis within each region, World Historical Geography: Regional Trends and Global Themes is perfect for undergraduate and graduate courses in World History, World Geography, and Area Studies, as well as core curricula in History, Geography, and Global Studies programs.
Preface xii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: Sub-Saharan Africa 7
1.1 Disease 10
1.2 Climate 13
1.3 Globalizations 23
Chapter 2: North Africa and Southwest Asia 35
2.1 Deserts 36
2.2 Domestications 41
2.3 The 4.2 ka event 45
Chapter 3: Europe 61
3.1 Hunting and gathering 67
3.2 Anthropogenic landscapes 70
3.3 Smoke pollution 77
Chapter 4: The Russian Domain 85
4.1 Grasslands 89
4.2 Cold climates 97
4.3 The birth of the oil industry 101
Chapter 5: Central Asia 109
5.1 Pastoralists 114
5.2 Languages 120
5.3 Irrigation 126
Chapter 6: East Asia 133
6.1 Erosion 137
6.2 Transportation 142
6.3 Volcanoes 148
Chapter 7: South Asia 155
7.1 Religions 163
7.2 Famine 168
7.3 The Demographic Transition 170
Chapter 8: Southeast Asia 177
8.1 Swidden cultivation 181
8.2 Slaveries 186
8.3 Cities 190
Chapter 9: Australia and Oceania 199
9.1 Islands 200
9.2 Geographies 205
9.3 Anthropology 213
Chapter 10: North America 221
10.1 Archaeology 225
10.2 The Little Ice Age 229
10.3 Frontiers 238
Chapter 11: Latin America 247
11.1 Rivers 250
11.2 Highlands and hills 256
11.3 The potato and its impact 259
Chapter 12: The Caribbean 269
12.1 Winds 271
12.2 Paleogenetics 277
12.3 Diaspora 283
Conclusion 289
Index 292