Ten Maps that tell you everything your need to know about global politics - the million copy international bestseller

Geography shapes not only our history, but where we're headed...

ON THE RUSSIA/UKRAINE CRISIS - What is driving Russia's foreign policy? Why do Putin's actions mirror those made in the past? Prisoners of Geography analyses the geographic weaknesses and historical invasions of Russia's territories, exploring how they have ultimately shaped the decisions of its leaders past and present.

All leaders are constrained by geography. Their choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas and concrete. Yes, to follow world events you need to understand people, ideas and movements - but if you don't know geography, you'll never have the full picture.

If you've ever wondered why Putin is so obsessed with Crimea, why the USA was destined to become a global superpower, or why China's power base continues to expand ever outwards, the answers are all here.

In ten chapters and ten maps, Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present and future to offer an essential insight into one of the major factors that determines world history.

The definitive survey of the countries and territories of Western Europe, comprising expert analysis and commentary, up-to-date economic and socio-political data and extensive directory information. General Survey Essays by leading experts on the area cover issues of regional importance. Country Surveys Individual chapters on each country, comprising: an introductory survey, containing essays on the geography, history and economy of each country, including a chronology and map. an extensive statistical survey of economic and demographic indicators, including area and population, health and welfare, agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, industry, finance, trade, transport, tourism, communications media and education. a comprehensive directory of names and contact details covering the most significant political and commercial institutions. Regional Information a directory of research institutes specializing in the region bibliographies of books and periodicals covering the region.

Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their home is taken away and they lose their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall.

Carrying only the essentials for survival on their backs, they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey.

The Salt Path is an honest and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, and how it can be lost, rebuilt and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways.

Human geographers have been at the forefront of research that examines the relationships between space, culture and society. This volume contains twenty-one essays, published over the past thirty years, that are iconic instances of this investigative field. With a focus on four broad themes - landscape, identity, colonialism, nature - these essays represent some of the best and most innovative interventions that geographers have made on these topics. From the visual to the corporeal, from rural Ceylon to urban America and from the sixteenth century to the twenty-first, this volume brings together a set of theoretically sophisticated and empirically grounded works.

The study and application of spatial information systems have been developed primarily from the use of computers in the geosciences. These systems have the principle functions of capturing, storing, representing, manipulating, and displaying data in 2-D and 3-D worlds. This book approaches its subject from the perspectives of informatics and geography, presenting methods of conceptual modeling developed in computer science that provide valuable aids for resolving spatial problems. This book is an essential textbook for both students and practitioners. It is indispensable for academic geographers, computer scientists, and the GIS professional.
Key Features
* Serves as the first comprehensive textbook on the field of Spatial Information Systems (also known as Geographic Information Systems)
* Contains extensive illustrations
* Presents numerous detailed examples

Help your students to develop the geographical skills and knowledge they need to succeed using this new Edition Student book, which includes new case studies and practice questions. Written by our expert author team, the new edition is structured to provide support for A-Level Geography learners of all abilities. The book includes: * Activities and regular review questions to reinforce geographical knowledge and build up core geographical skills * Clear explanations to help students to grapple with tricky geographical concepts and grasp links between topics * Case studies from around the world to vividly demonstrate geographical theory in action * Exciting fieldwork projects that meet the fieldwork and investigation requirements This student book is supported by digital resources on our new digital platform Boost, providing a seamless online and offline teaching experience.

Space: the biggest geopolitical story of the coming century – new from the multi-million-copy international bestselling author of Prisoners of Geography and The Power of Geography

Spy satellites orbiting the Moon. Space metals worth billions. Humans on Mars within our lifetimes.

This isn’t science fiction. It’s astropolitics.

We’re entering a new space race – and it could revolutionise life on Earth.

Space: the new frontier, a wild and lawless place. It is already central to communication, economics, military strategy and international relations on Earth. Now, it is the latest arena for human exploration, exploitation – and, possibly, conquest. We’re heading up and out, and we’re taking our power struggles with us. China, the USA and Russia are leading the way.

From physical territory and resources to satellites, weaponry and strategic choke points, geopolitics is as important in the skies above us as it is down below. If you’ve ever wondered if humans are going back to the Moon, who will benefit from exploration or what space wars might look like, the answers are here.

With all the insight and wit that have made Tim Marshall the UK’s most popular writer on geopolitics, this gripping book shows how we got here and where we’re going, covering great-power rivalry; technology; commerce; combat in space; and what it means for all of us down here on Earth. This is essential reading on power, politics and the future of humanity.

A sweeping history of the Mississippi River―and the centuries of human meddling that have transformed both it and America.

The Mississippi River lies at the heart of America, an undeniable life force that is intertwined with the nation’s culture and history. Its watershed spans almost half the country, Mark Twain’s travels on the river inspired our first national literature, and jazz and blues were born in its floodplains and carried upstream.

In this landmark work of natural history, Boyce Upholt tells the epic story of this wild and unruly river, and the centuries of efforts to control it. Over thousands of years, the Mississippi watershed was home to millions of Indigenous people who regarded “the great river” with awe and respect, adorning its banks with astonishing spiritual earthworks. The river was ever-changing, and Indigenous tribes embraced and even depended on its regular flooding. But the expanse of the watershed and the rich soils of its floodplain lured European settlers and American pioneers, who had a different vision: the river was a foe to conquer.

Centuries of human attempts to own, contain, and rework the Mississippi River, from Thomas Jefferson’s expansionist land hunger through today’s era of environmental concern, have now transformed its landscape. Upholt reveals how an ambitious and sometimes contentious program of engineering―government-built levees, jetties, dikes, and dams―has not only damaged once-vibrant ecosystems but may not work much longer. Carrying readers along the river’s last remaining backchannels, he explores how scientists are now hoping to restore what has been lost.

Rich and powerful, The Great River delivers a startling account of what happens when we try to fight against nature instead of acknowledging and embracing its power―a lesson that is all too relevant in our rapidly changing world.

Cramming all new-case studies and 100s of new questions into one book, this new edition of our AQA A-level Geography student book will capture imaginations as it travels around the globe. This book has been written by our expert author team and structured to provide support for learners of all abilities. The book includes: * Activities and regular review questions to reinforce geographical knowledge and build up core geographical skills * Clear explanations to help students to grapple with tricky geographical concepts and grasp links between topics * Case studies from around the world to vividly demonstrate geographical theory in action * Exciting fieldwork projects that meet the fieldwork and investigation requirements * The most up-to-date theory of plate tectonics This student book is supported by digital resources on our new digital platform Boost, providing a seamless online and offline teaching experience.

Bill Bryson describes himself as a reluctant traveller, but even when he stays at home, he can't contain his curiosity about the world around him.

A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 is the result of his quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization – how we got from being nothing at all to what we are today. Now fully updated to include all the latest advances in science, it is more ground-breaking than ever before.

This journey through time and space will inform a new generation of readers, as well as those who read this book on first publication with a new perspective based on what we know now.

Written in his inimitable style, Bryson makes complex subjects fascinating and accessible to everyone with an interest in the world around them.

A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 reveals the world in a whole new way.