Includes directory and glossary.

Includes index.

At head of title: DK, Smithsonian.

Introduction. Earth's structures ; Plate tectonics ; Earth's past ; Life on earth -- North America. Mountains, lakes, and prairies ; Mountains and volcanoes ; Glaciers and ice sheets ; Rivers and lakes ; Coasts, islands, and reefs ; Forests ; Grasslands and tundra ; Deserts -- Central & South America. Andes to Amazon ; Mountains and volcanoes ; Glaciers and ice sheets ; Rivers and lakes ; Coasts, islands, and reefs ; Forests ; Grasslands and tundra ; Deserts -- Europe. Land of rivers and plains ; Mountains and volcanoes ; Glaciers and ice sheets ; Rivers and lakes ; Coasts, islands, and reefs ; Forests ; Grasslands and tundra -- Africa. Land of the rift ; Mountains and volcanoes ; Rivers and lakes ; Coasts, islands, and reefs ; Forests ; Grasslands ; Deserts -- Asia. Tundra to tropics ; Mountains and volcanoes ; Glaciers and ice sheets ; Rivers and lakes ; Coasts, islands, and reefs ; Forests ; Grasslands and tundra ; Deserts -- Australia & New Zealand. an ancient land ; Mountains and volcanoes ; Glaciers and ice sheets ; Rivers and lakes ; Coasts, islands, and reefs ; Forests ; Grasslands ; Deserts -- Antarctica. The frozen continent ; Mountains and volcanoes ; Glaciers and ice sheets ; Tundra -- The oceans. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge ; The Seychelles ; The Great Chagos Bank ; The Maldives ; The Hawaiian Islands ; The Galapagos Islands ; The East Pacific Rise ; The Mariana Trench -- Extreme weather. Cyclones ; Thunderstorms ; Tornadoes ; Sandstorms and duststorms ; Ice storms ; Aurorae.