Part of a geography series which stresses understanding of the environment through mastery of specific skills and concepts, the secondary level textbook examines environmental systems as they exist at present. A system is defined as one of a large number of elements (people, cities, rocks, soils, air, clouds) which make up the environment. Although developed for use in Australian secondary schools, the material and activities can be adapted for use in other countries by replacing Australian examples with other examples more relevant to students. The text comprises 15 chapters, 14 of which describe a specific system including the following: desert, barrier reef, swamp, farm, cattle station, mine, bakery, communication, urban and rural neighborhoods, and a garage repair shop. Skills and objectives are listed in the introduction and tests are included throughout the text. The format of each chapter generally includes background information, illustrations, maps, graphs, and discussion questions. Learning activities suggested to help students observe elements of a system and analyze spatial relationships between them include role playing, surveys, library research, map work, class reports, debates, and field trips. The final chapter suggests questions and activities for evaluating student skills and understanding of textual material. (Author/DB)