Preface

This is an introduction to a very large part of the world’s surface with rich and varied landforms. The tropics include high mountain ranges, major rivers, ancient surfaces, large alluvial plains and deltas, arid landscapes, and wonderful examples of volcanic landforms. The tropical oceanic coverage is huge and it influences the world’s climate. It is surprising that, in spite of a recent spurt in case studies, our knowledge regarding the geomorphology of the tropics remains limited and that case studies from the tropics have hardly been used for generalisation and theory construction. This lacuna is fascinating, especially as all world maps on sedimentation rates indicate that huge amounts of sediment are pouring into the oceans from certain parts of the tropics, as a result of events happening inland.