Widely regarded as the standard text on development geography, this volume examines the nature and causes of global inequality and critically analyzes contemporary approaches to economic development across the third world. Students gain a deeper understanding of the interacting dynamics of culture, gender, race, and class; biophysical factors, such as climate, population, and natural resources; and economic and political processes all of which have led to the present-day disparities between the first and third worlds. Numerous examples, sidebars, and figures illustrate how people in the global South are experiencing and contesting the forces of globalization. New to this edition are the following: * an update to reflect a decade of economic, political, and social changes * an extensive revision, which more fully integrates postcolonial and feminist perspectives * a wider focus that includes examples from around the world * and a chapter on the promises and pitfalls of sustainable evelopment.