Abstract
This chapter introduces the broader context for the diverse South African landscapes and landforms discussed in this book. We briefly summarize South Africa’s long geological history, demonstrating that some of the earliest known geomorphic events on Earth are preserved as geological artefacts within the contemporary landscape. Both earlier and more recent theories of landscape evolution are then highlighted, in particular given that some of these were locally founded but applied globally. It is demonstrated that much of the South African macroscale geomorphology and site-specific landform development is controlled not only by geology, but also by past epeirogenic uplift, influencing river divides and drainage networks, and also a regionally diverse climate. Finally, the association between people and landscapes is emphasized as an important theme covered throughout this book.
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Grab, S., Knight, J. (2015). Landscapes and Landforms of South Africa—An Overview. In: Grab, S., Knight, J. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of South Africa. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03560-4_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03560-4_1
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