A comprehensive consolidation of data for the world, this book gives a short precis of each nation, each nation’s history, its topography and a chronology of the development of geodetic surveying and coordinate systems for that specific nation. This book is a starting point of information for understanding the world’s datums and grids. Based on the details available for each nation, the reader is given an overall view that can answer questions regarding the sources of spatial information available, their limitations, and the critical things to be aware. The topographic maps compiled over the centuries represent the mixes of technology specifically to that nation. The book provides information and clues regarding existing maps and how those maps and coordinate systems were created. Features Provides concise history of the foundations of each country’s geodetic Datums Includes coordinates of every known geodetic Datum Origin in the world Explains transformation parameters from native Datums to WGS84 for many countries Offers Grid parameters for most of the native Grid Systems of the world Provides guidance on Grid System math models specific to individual countries This book is intended for readers that have a solid foundation in cartography and mapping sciences such as graduate students with an interest in these subjects, as well as land surveyors, geodesists, mineral exploration professionals, cartographers, GIS specialists, remote sensing professionals, military intelligence specialists, as well as archeologists, biblical scholars, cadastral researchers, diplomats of boundary treaties, and technical professionals travelling to every foreign country in the world that intends to use local paper maps.

Despite being heavily endowed with land and other natural resources, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest poverty rate in the world. A key to leveraging its land and natural resources to eradicate poverty is improving land governance, the subject of this book, centered on a ten point program to scale up land policy reforms and investments.

This book addresses the right of indigenous peoples to live, own and use their traditional territories. A profound relationship with land and territories characterizes indigenous groups, but indigenous peoples have been and are repeatedly deprived of their lands. This book analyzes whether the international legal regime provides indigenous peoples with the collective right to live on their traditional territories. Through its meticulous and wide-ranging examination of the interaction between international law and indigenous peoples’ land rights, the work explores several burning issues such as collective rights, self-determination, autonomy, property rights, and restitution of land. In assessing the human rights approach to land rights the book delves into the notion of past violations and the role of human rights law in providing for remedies, reparation and restitution. It also argues that there is a new phase in the relationship between States and indigenous peoples in the making of territorial agreements. Based on its analysis of indigenous peoples’ land rights under international law, this book proposes an original theory as regards the legal status of indigenous peoples. It explores how indigenous peoples have been the victims of the rules governing title to territory since the inception of international law, and how under the current human rights regime, indigenous peoples have now gained the status of actors of international law. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.