The whole fabric of a geographical study is based on man-environment relationship. Environmental degradation is intimately associated with the intensifying human impact on his surroundings. Right from the beginning, geographers have not only discussed the various components of an ecosystem and their impact on man but also examined the environmental problems, both global and regional, as well as the question of sustainable development. The present book is an interdisciplinary analysis of the natural and anthropogenic components of the environment. This popular book, which now runs into the third edition, offers a comprehensive and up-to-date geographical information on all the aspects of the environment. For the updated edition several new topics have been added in order to keep the text contemporary. Apart from new additions in almost all the chapters, four new chapters have been incorporated on Biomes, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Towards Sustainability. The book is an essential reading for the students of geography and environmental science. It will also be of value to a broader social science audience interested in the application of social knowledge to the understanding of environmental problems at the global and local scale.