Each of the nine regional chapters opens with a one- or two-page map of the region, short accounts of people or events to provide a personal flavor of the region, an outline of the chapter contents, and a short section placing the region in its wider global context. Each regional chapter is consistently organized by three sections. The first section summarizes the distinctive physical and human geographies of the region; the second section explores the internal diversity of the region at subregional, selected country, and local levels. The third section focuses on a selection of contemporary issues that are important to the people of each region and frequently have implications for the rest of the world. Each regional chapter follows the same framework, allowing students to easily make comparisons from one world region to the next. .