Tropical Geomorphology

Although the definitions of tropics vary amongst disciplines (Seidel et al. 2008), the tropics are traditionally defined as the area approximately between 30° N and S latitude. This low-latitude region, covering over half of the total surface area of Earth, is characterized by rich diversity of landforms including high mountains and plateaus, mighty rivers, deep weathering profiles, ancient erosional surfaces, mega deserts, large deltas and alluvial fans, extensive alluvial plains and wetlands. Some of the greatest rivers in the world, ranked by magnitude of discharge and sediment load, are located in the tropics.