This volume introduces students to the humid tropics, a lush region defined by climate and conditions of temperature and moisture. Insightful text tells how, under natural conditions, the tropical world supports a rich rainforest ecosystem, while tropical areas with poor soils generally support an economy based on low-yield, shifting cultivation. Students will learn about intriguing high civilizations of antiquity, and about the Europeans who later colonized most of these environs. The Tropics explains that although the region suffers from political instability and poverty, its problems are not insurmountable--the tropics can prosper if stability and economic development can be achieved.