Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World
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- Create Date：2021-09-02 06:54:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Tim Marshall
- ISBN：1501121472
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Summary
In this New York Times bestseller， updated for 2016， an award-winning journalist uses ten maps of crucial regions to explain the geo-political strategies of the world powers—“fans of geography， history， and politics （and maps） will be enthralled” （Fort Worth Star-Telegram）。
Maps have a mysterious hold over us。 Whether ancient， crumbling parchments or generated by Google， maps tell us things we want to know， not only about our current location or where we are going but about the world in general。 And yet， when it comes to geo-politics， much of what we are told is generated by analysts and other experts who have neglected to refer to a map of the place in question。
All leaders of nations are constrained by geography。 In “one of the best books about geopolitics” （The Evening Standard）， now updated to include 2016 geopolitical developments， journalist Tim Marshall examines Russia， China， the US， Latin America， the Middle East， Africa， Europe， Japan， Korea， and Greenland and the Arctic—their weather， seas， mountains， rivers， deserts， and borders—to provide a context often missing from our political reportage: how the physical characteristics of these countries affect their strengths and vulnerabilities and the decisions made by their leaders。
Offering “a fresh way of looking at maps” （The New York Times Book Review）， Marshall explains the complex geo-political strategies that shape the globe。 Why is Putin so obsessed with Crimea？ Why was the US destined to become a global superpower？ Why does China’s power base continue to expand？ Why is Tibet destined to lose its autonomy？ Why will Europe never be united？ The answers are geographical。 “In an ever more complex， chaotic， and interlinked world， Prisoners of Geography is a concise and useful primer on geopolitics” （Newsweek） and a critical guide to one of the major determining factors in world affairs。
Maps have a mysterious hold over us。 Whether ancient， crumbling parchments or generated by Google， maps tell us things we want to know， not only about our current location or where we are going but about the world in general。 And yet， when it comes to geo-politics， much of what we are told is generated by analysts and other experts who have neglected to refer to a map of the place in question。
All leaders of nations are constrained by geography。 In “one of the best books about geopolitics” （The Evening Standard）， now updated to include 2016 geopolitical developments， journalist Tim Marshall examines Russia， China， the US， Latin America， the Middle East， Africa， Europe， Japan， Korea， and Greenland and the Arctic—their weather， seas， mountains， rivers， deserts， and borders—to provide a context often missing from our political reportage: how the physical characteristics of these countries affect their strengths and vulnerabilities and the decisions made by their leaders。
Offering “a fresh way of looking at maps” （The New York Times Book Review）， Marshall explains the complex geo-political strategies that shape the globe。 Why is Putin so obsessed with Crimea？ Why was the US destined to become a global superpower？ Why does China’s power base continue to expand？ Why is Tibet destined to lose its autonomy？ Why will Europe never be united？ The answers are geographical。 “In an ever more complex， chaotic， and interlinked world， Prisoners of Geography is a concise and useful primer on geopolitics” （Newsweek） and a critical guide to one of the major determining factors in world affairs。
Reviews
Sonny Peart
，
An accessible guide to geopolitics， told with confidence and some flair。 The argument that the political actions of nation states are largely determined by geography （defensible borders， navigable rivers， deep water ports， agriculture-friendly soil and climate） is well made， and helps to explain many of the otherwise 'inexplicable' ongoing world conflicts and tensions。 It can come across as cynical， but it seems to have facts on its side。 Particularly interesting is the continuing importance of An accessible guide to geopolitics， told with confidence and some flair。 The argument that the political actions of nation states are largely determined by geography （defensible borders， navigable rivers， deep water ports， agriculture-friendly soil and climate） is well made， and helps to explain many of the otherwise 'inexplicable' ongoing world conflicts and tensions。 It can come across as cynical， but it seems to have facts on its side。 Particularly interesting is the continuing importance of naval power， and aircraft carriers in particular， not only to project force around the world， but to protect vital sea routes， that are more， rather than less， important as globalisation continues to develop。 The idea that the threat of invasion continues to determine the foreign policy of many nations may jar against 21st century liberal democratic beliefs， but the geographical imperatives that underpin the fear of that threat are unchanged， and will continue to be so。 。。。more
Luong Nguyen
，
I enjoyed this book far more than I had expected。 This book made me realize OH HOW I LOVE TO READ POLITICS AND HISTORY。 I guess the reason why I love reading politics or history， at least in the sense that I thoroughly had fun reading this one， is because reading those things helps me make sense of the world。 Yes， I repeat， make sense of the world， period。 Good primer for those wanting to better understand geopolitics。
Matúš Kapusta
，
Skvela prirucka geopolitiky。 Dozviete sa prakticky vsetko o tom， ako funguje cely svet， preco sa niektore krajiny maju rady a niektore menej。 Autor zachadza do historie iba trosku， tak， aby objasnil sucasne konflikty。 Kniha nie je extremne dlha， no je plna dolezitych informacii。 Je naozaj fajn si popri citani prechadzat prstom po mape， potom je ovela jednoduchsie pochopit cele suvislosti， ktore su neraz naozaj komplexne。
Cule'S Cơ
，
nói chung là hay
Ahmad Syamil Awang
，
1。 Rusia- tanah rata yang berada di utara menyebabkan mudah diserang musuh。- ketiadaan pelabuhan laut yang tidak beku menyebabkan kejadian perampasan Crimea daripada Ukraine。2。 China- perampasan uighur， tibet sangat penting untuk menjadi penampan， sumber tenaga dan air。- keadaan seperti dikepung dengan pulau² di laut menyebabkan mereka membuat satu projek keretapi OBOR supaya tidak disekat oleh musuh。3。 Amerika Syarikat- keadaan sumber tenaga dan air yang banyak memberi kelebihan kepada mereka。- 1。 Rusia- tanah rata yang berada di utara menyebabkan mudah diserang musuh。- ketiadaan pelabuhan laut yang tidak beku menyebabkan kejadian perampasan Crimea daripada Ukraine。2。 China- perampasan uighur， tibet sangat penting untuk menjadi penampan， sumber tenaga dan air。- keadaan seperti dikepung dengan pulau² di laut menyebabkan mereka membuat satu projek keretapi OBOR supaya tidak disekat oleh musuh。3。 Amerika Syarikat- keadaan sumber tenaga dan air yang banyak memberi kelebihan kepada mereka。- kecerdikan pemimpin dahulu menawan beberapa wilayah di darat dan laut menjadi kelebihan kepada negara ini。4。 Eropah Barat- trauma perang dunia yang dialami di benua ini menyebabkan mereka seboleh mungkin cuba mengekalkan keamanan yang dikecapi sekarang。- permusuhan dengan rusia cuba dikurangkan ketegangannya kerana mengharap bekalan gas yang murah dari rusia5。 Afrika- sumber tenaga dan air yang banyak tidak memberi kelebihan kepada benua ini selain daripada menjadi punca berlakunya peperangan kelak （ mesir dan eritrea）6。 Timur Tengah- perjanjian sulit di antara diplomat British dan Perancis （skype picot） menyebabkan benua ini menjadi tidak stabil dengan kedudukan etnik yang saling berbalah dalam satu negara。- persaingan arab saudi dan iran untuk mengumpul pengaruh menyebabkan benua ini berdarah。7。 India dan Pakistan- pakistan sebuah negara yang dilahir tidak mempunyai dana yang mewah menyebabkan mereka agak mengikut siapa yang boleh memberi mereka wang contoh sanggup memajak pelabuhan mereka kepada China。- perseteruan untuk merebut kashmir kerana kawasan ini akan memberi akses yang penuh untuk punca air。8。 Korea dan Jepun- keadaan getir berlaku di kawasan ini kerana kuasa nuklear dipegang oleh seorang yang boleh bertindak tanpa disangka- China masih menjadikan korea utara sebagai penampan kerana markas tentera Amerika berada di korea selatan dan jepun。9。 Amerika Selatan- kepayahan untuk negara di benua ini untuk menjadi antara kuasa dunia kerana masalah perselisihan ideologi belum selesai。- ramai penduduk negara mereka berada di pinggir laut menyebabkan sumber tenaga di hulu kurang diusahakan。10。 Artik- Satu kawasan di sebelah atas dunia yang menjadi perebutan beberapa negara。- kepentingan kawasan ini bila mana menjadi cair disebabkan pemanasan global menyebabkan sumber asli yang berada di bawahnya boleh diambil。 。。。more
Anna Kaling
，
Should have been called "Prisoners of a Book Masquerading as Focused on Geography but Actually a Fairly Dull and Shallow Summary of Global Politics 1950-2000" but I guess that's not as catchy。 Should have been called "Prisoners of a Book Masquerading as Focused on Geography but Actually a Fairly Dull and Shallow Summary of Global Politics 1950-2000" but I guess that's not as catchy。 。。。more
Alvise Benetton
，
A really well written book by which the author deeply analyses the dynamics acting in the most unstable areas of the world， explaining the reasons starting from a geographical point of view。
Avishek
，
What I like most in nonfiction is reading about history。。。。。and specifically how nature and geography influenced our history and made us the way we are。 The geographical influence is still one major underlying factor of the world Geopolitics till this modern era。。。there are some good books in this genre like Guns，Germs 。。。。。by Jared Diamond Sapiens by Yuval Noah etc。 AlsoBooks by Sanjeev Sanyal like Ocean of Churn， Land of Seven rivers are beautiful。 THIS ONE IS ALSO A BRILLIANT BOOK 。。。MY TIER What I like most in nonfiction is reading about history。。。。。and specifically how nature and geography influenced our history and made us the way we are。 The geographical influence is still one major underlying factor of the world Geopolitics till this modern era。。。there are some good books in this genre like Guns，Germs 。。。。。by Jared Diamond Sapiens by Yuval Noah etc。 AlsoBooks by Sanjeev Sanyal like Ocean of Churn， Land of Seven rivers are beautiful。 THIS ONE IS ALSO A BRILLIANT BOOK 。。。MY TIER -1 NON FICTION BOOK。Modern day Geopolitics So wonderfully explained by the author u will be realize that our world is at the brink of an upcoming crisis。。。。。 。。。more
Edla
，
Some of the chapters were great but others were repetitive and generally boring。 However it does provide a great insight into other nations issues， and another view of them。
Jenny Fleming
，
This is my absolute favorite book I have read in 2021！ The combination of history and geography and international relations is fascinating。
gtm
，
- If it’s not the USA or China， it is definitely Russia lol;- The reason someone is rich is perhaps because they were born so :P （geography wise: rivers， flat plains， coastal lines - lots of them， good ones，。。。）;- The “peace” we see today is just an act or a stand-by mode for something else， most probably aggressive， or atomic;- Many developed countries must know they owe their wealth to a lot of other countries who could not and still cannot reach their potentials as a result of the riches’ gre - If it’s not the USA or China， it is definitely Russia lol;- The reason someone is rich is perhaps because they were born so :P （geography wise: rivers， flat plains， coastal lines - lots of them， good ones，。。。）;- The “peace” we see today is just an act or a stand-by mode for something else， most probably aggressive， or atomic;- Many developed countries must know they owe their wealth to a lot of other countries who could not and still cannot reach their potentials as a result of the riches’ greed （i。e。 Western settlers determined the borders of African and Middle Eastern states on the map using a ruler， with zero regards for their culturally diverse tribal divisions and voila， civil wars， civil wars， civil wars）;- Everyone wants to be a big fat piece of land （plus water）， everyone’s someone else’s fear and everyone’s fighting;- At all times， there are many “pioneers” who would like to push more boundaries， and the world will continue to change。“But so far， although we have broken free of the shackles of gravity， we are still imprisoned in our own minds， confined by our own suspicion of the ‘other’， and thus our primal competition for resources。 There is a long way to go。” 。。。more
Engi
，
Raccolta di dieci brevi saggi che analizzano diverse zone del mondo dal punto di vista geografico， demografico ed economico: semplice e ben argomentato， è ottimo per chi poco sa sull'argomento。 Il testo è aggiornato a inizio 2016 （che strano vedere un mondo dove l'idea di Trummp presidente non è nemmeno contemplata） ed è interessante constatare come in alcune aree （tra tutte Xinjiang， Afghanistan e Venezuela） la situazione si è evoluta esattamente come previsto dall'autore。 Raccolta di dieci brevi saggi che analizzano diverse zone del mondo dal punto di vista geografico， demografico ed economico: semplice e ben argomentato， è ottimo per chi poco sa sull'argomento。 Il testo è aggiornato a inizio 2016 （che strano vedere un mondo dove l'idea di Trummp presidente non è nemmeno contemplata） ed è interessante constatare come in alcune aree （tra tutte Xinjiang， Afghanistan e Venezuela） la situazione si è evoluta esattamente come previsto dall'autore。 。。。more
Emmanouil
，
Παραθέτοντας πληροφορίες και γεγονότα και με την χρήση χαρτών ο συγγραφέας προσπαθεί να σε ταξιδέψει στον κόσμο της γεωπολιτικής με όχημα την γεωγραφία。 Στα αρνητικά είναι ότι οι Η。Π。Α στην κριτική του πέφτουν στα μαλακά， σε αντίθεση με την σκληρή κριτική απέναντι στην Ευρώπη και την Κίνα。 Επιπλέον， πιστεύω ότι σε αρκετά που γράφει για την Κίνα πέφτει παρασάγγας έξω。
Katerina
，
Amazing book。 It is easy to read and you can understand why many things happen in our planet。
Tabish Khan
，
A fantastic condensed version of global politics where the writer explains how and why countries have evolved the way they have - from why Europe has so many countries and why Russia invaded Crimea， to the ethnic cross-border issues in Africa and the upcoming battle for resources and access as the Arctic melts。 We don't often think of geography when it comes to politics， and Tim Marshall enlightens us on the importance of mountain ranges and deep harbours。It's a concise book so he can't go into A fantastic condensed version of global politics where the writer explains how and why countries have evolved the way they have - from why Europe has so many countries and why Russia invaded Crimea， to the ethnic cross-border issues in Africa and the upcoming battle for resources and access as the Arctic melts。 We don't often think of geography when it comes to politics， and Tim Marshall enlightens us on the importance of mountain ranges and deep harbours。It's a concise book so he can't go into the nuances of any particular region of the world but it's a fantastic summary for those who wants to understand global machinations from a high level。 。。。more
Martha Greally
，
I really enjoyed this， it’s very interesting and has lots of interesting facts and information I’ve not really come across in detail before in a book or article。 The angle of looking at global politics through a geographical lens is very unique and one I enjoyed a lot。 Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in geography / politics。 It isn’t an easy read and I don’t think I would have understood it much when I was in my early 20’s or younger， but if you’re less thick than me you’d be fine。 I really enjoyed this， it’s very interesting and has lots of interesting facts and information I’ve not really come across in detail before in a book or article。 The angle of looking at global politics through a geographical lens is very unique and one I enjoyed a lot。 Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in geography / politics。 It isn’t an easy read and I don’t think I would have understood it much when I was in my early 20’s or younger， but if you’re less thick than me you’d be fine。 Deffo worth a read though 。。。more
Josh Skidmore
，
Fascinating and far more readable than I was expecting。 I enjoyed the early chapters the most， especially on Russia and China。 Others harder going and less persuasive。 Incidentally， a pretty damning reflection on human nature - that we’re basically selfish and that all of human history is arranged around competition for resources。 Hard to argue with though。 If there’s hope for us， it’s going to have to come from the outside
Mark
，
The subtitle is clearly a lie。 At best this book provides an overview of some the challenges some states face， but there's nothing particularly unique about the maps of the text that accompanies them。That said， summarising an entire planets geopolitics is quite an achievement， but it is hamstrung by it's framing as many things simply can't be explained by geography alone。 Technological development， philosophical and religious developments and many other factors have clearly influenced some of th The subtitle is clearly a lie。 At best this book provides an overview of some the challenges some states face， but there's nothing particularly unique about the maps of the text that accompanies them。That said， summarising an entire planets geopolitics is quite an achievement， but it is hamstrung by it's framing as many things simply can't be explained by geography alone。 Technological development， philosophical and religious developments and many other factors have clearly influenced some of the issues the book discusses， but they have to be minimised or swept to the side to avoid them compromising the thesis of the book。There are definitely some parts that stand out， the chapter on Africa for example， but the whole thing feels a bit dated and constrained， and there are many claims that I guess you're supposed to take on face value with very little substance to back them up。It was definitely an interesting book to be reading during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan。Overall， worth a read if geopolitics interests you， but the cover is more clever marketing than an accurate description of its contents。 。。。more
Ana
，
really lucid， matter-of-fact review of how geography shapes countries' national interests， although I found it a bit too 'doomsday'-focused at times （which is maybe the point of things like foreign policy and a military？） really lucid， matter-of-fact review of how geography shapes countries' national interests， although I found it a bit too 'doomsday'-focused at times （which is maybe the point of things like foreign policy and a military？） 。。。more
Galya
，
5 stars for the overview but there are some important errors - it mentions civil war in Ukraine while it is a recognized Russian invasion of the Ukrainian territory started in 2015 and annexation of Crimea。 Also the unification of Italy date is given as 1871 while it is 1861。
King AJ
，
Really well-written。 I feel that this book should be read by every human - it's a really good concise record of history， politics and geography。 Usually， one would get bored of at least one of those three subjects but the author links them all so well。 Really well-written。 I feel that this book should be read by every human - it's a really good concise record of history， politics and geography。 Usually， one would get bored of at least one of those three subjects but the author links them all so well。 。。。more
Dianne
，
What an interesting and well-researched book by a knowledgeable and engaging author。 The history of a country or region， the past and current issues it faces， and projections for the future are all so heavily influenced by the geography of the country， and this book exposits well the factors that are part of ta nation’s circumstances。So many interesting connections between countries exist and this book explains much of the history that interacts with nations。 Culture is heavily influenced by geo What an interesting and well-researched book by a knowledgeable and engaging author。 The history of a country or region， the past and current issues it faces， and projections for the future are all so heavily influenced by the geography of the country， and this book exposits well the factors that are part of ta nation’s circumstances。So many interesting connections between countries exist and this book explains much of the history that interacts with nations。 Culture is heavily influenced by geography， and we see how that factors into each nations circumstances。I learned so much about the interconnectedness of events in history and the motivations behind decisions and actions that have made history。 This is a fantastic read and I appreciate the authors wealth of knowledge and ability to explain many complexities about Geo-politics。 。。。more
James
，
Worth reading。This is a fascinating look at the impact of geography on both history and our modern world。 We are still defined by rivers， coastlines， mountain ranges more than lines on maps。
Joe Bridge
，
Excellent book， would’ve scored higher but found it tedious in parts & quite frankly quite boring。 Wish in places he would’ve focused more upon the geographical & geomorphological side to things as opposed to mainly the politics。 Would’ve been nice to hear about how the various other non mountainous landforms have affected society。
NunoAvelar
，
Tim Marshall jornalista do foro politico， actualmente residente na SkyNews; exemplifica de forma sucinta， breve e esclarecedora o modo como a política， as nações， as fronteiras e conflitos ao longo da história se desenrolavam， em função dos limites geográficos。Um livro em que se aprende muito de história， politica， geografia e entendimento de alguns conflitos; numa leitura prazerosa e bem escrita。
DO Thu Ha
，
Trừ 1 điểm cho những cảm xúc chủ quan của tác giả trong phần viết về nước Nga。 Trừ thêm điểm nữa cho văn phong lủng củng của người dịch và sự bất cẩn của NXB。
Sam
，
Probably 3 1/2 stars。 Better， more in depth writing has been done by Jared Diamond。 Nonetheless a very interesting read for many chapters。 Would’ve liked it to have been a longer book， with more depth。
Debby Brown
，
Interesting learning the history behind the placement of modern-day borders。 Now I want to dig into all of the history of each area to learn more of the stories。
Jakob Matauschek
，
Lots of interesting perspectives on global politics and geography！
Naomi
，