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Key Ideas
1. What’s in it for me? Discover how geography
determines the world’s balance of power.
2. Russia is an aggressive presence in the Baltics
because it fears invasion from the West.
3 0
3. China’s fears of Indian invasion and water 9
9
6 4
shortages keep their grip on Tibet strong.
2 3
3 1make the
4. Guns and geographical good fortune 0
United States invulnerable. i m
a h
5. Geography has blessed northern
T h Europe and
blighted its south. l i
A
6. Geography has givenodAfrica beautiful but
s o
a
impractical waterways.
M
7. Geography has
ub gifted North Korea with hills, while
l
there’s flatCland in South Korea all the way to Seoul.
r 's
e
8. Final summary
d
e a
R Map
9. Mind
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1
What’s in it for me? Discover how geography
determines the world’s balance of power.
Did you know that the land you stand on has shaped the
0
society you’re living in? If this sounds a tad abstract, think
3
9
of it this way: the geographic features and resources9around
you have strongly influenced your country’s economy,6 4 as
3
well as how it has fared in the many wars that12have been
fought throughout history. 03
i m
These summaries look at six of the most
a h fascinating and
influential geographies around theTglobe.h More often than
l i by world leaders have a
you may think, the decisions made A
lot to do with the lay of theod land. Sometimes, these leaders
and the people they represent s o turn out to be prisoners of
a
geography. M
ub
In these pages, C l
you’ll find out
r 's
• about e the one part of the world Vladimir Putin
d
a over the most;
e
obsesses
R
• why China refuses to let go of Tibet; and
• why the African continent has struggled to capitalize on
lucrative trade routes.
2
Russia is an aggressive presence in the Baltics because
it fears invasion from the West.

3 0
99
There’s no denying the fact that Russia is enormous. 6 4
Covering a sprawling 6 million square miles and 2 3containing
3 1 world’s
eleven different time zones, Russia is by far 0 the
biggest country. i m
a h
T h
So what keeps Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia,
tossing and turning at night? It’sli one particular stretch of
A
land that somewhat resembles
o d a slice of pizza.
s o
Beginning in Poland, this a particular pizza-slice-shaped
wedge extends southeast M to the foot of the Ural Mountain
range, and northeastl ub to Russia’s capital city of Moscow.
C
s
' particularly worried is that this area of
What keeps rPutin
d e
e a
land is part of what’s called the North European Plain,
whichRstretches from France across Belgium, the
Netherlands, Northern Germany, Poland and ends at the
Russian Urals. As the name suggests, this area is flat and
makes the European gateway to Russia vulnerable and
difficult to defend.
Any country within the North European Plain could
conceivably send an army across the flatlands and directly
into Moscow. As Putin knows all too well, this is exactly
what has happened to Russia throughout its history.
3 0
During both world wars, this is the path the Germans 99 took
6
in their military campaigns. But that’s not all – since4 1812,
invaders from the Northern European Plain 1have 23 attacked
Russia an average of once every 33 years! 03
i m
For generations now, Russia’s strategyh for neutralizing the
threat from the North European T ha has been to control
Plain
li lie between it and Russia,
Poland and all the Baltic statesAthat
o
which include Lithuania, Latvia, d Estonia and Belarus.
s o
These are the nations that a make up the meat of that pizza
M the wedge stretches 2,000 miles
b
slice, so to speak. While
u
from north to south l
C at its easternmost section, it’s only 300
r
miles wide around 's Poland and the Baltic states. If Russia
d ea strong defensive front here, it can more easily
a
can station
e
R potential Western invaders.
hold off
Unfortunately, this means the Baltic states are likely to
continue having a rough go of it.
3
China’s fears of Indian invasion and water shortages
keep their grip on Tibet strong.

If you’re familiar with the history of Tibet, you know it’s3 0

99
been the site of an ongoing struggle for freedom from
6 4
3
Chinese rule. It’s also one that has involved regular, though
2 themselves
always shocking, acts of Tibetan monks setting3 1
0
on fire to protest Chinese oppression. In 2008, 21 Tibetans
i m
h
died after protests turned especially violent.
a
T h
l i
There’s been no shortage of humanitarian pleas calling for
A So why does China
an end to the occupation of Tibet.
d
refuse to let go of Tibet? oo
a s
M
The answer to this question lies just west of Tibet: India.
l
China and India are ubfar and away the two most populous
C
r s
countries on 'the planet, so there’s tension over how ugly
e
any majordconflict between them could become. It is
a
perhapse fortunate that there is a natural buffer zone
R
between these two world powers in the form of the
Himalayan mountains, which run along the western border
of China. But this is unfortunate for Tibet, since it’s smack
dab in the middle of this buffer zone.
Tibet’s homeland is the Tibetan Plateau, which is right next
to the Himalayas, on China’s side of the divide. So, in the
theoretical event of India sending an invading army over the
Himalayas, they could occupy the Tibetan plateau and have
3 0
a commanding position, looking down upon mainland
9 9
China, from which they could launch their attack. 4
36
12
This is China’s primary strategic reason for occupying Tibet.
If they don’t control it, they’re leaving the 0door3 open for
India to take it and thereby leaving themselvesi m extremely
a h
vulnerable.
T h
l i
However, there is another motive A behind China’s actions:
water. o d
s o
Tibet has long held theanickname “China’s water tower,”
Mmain rivers – the Mekong, the Yellow
since three of China’s
ub
C
River and the Yangtzel – all have their sources in Tibet. So,
not only would r 's India have a superior offensive position in
de occupied this area they could also cut off
Tibet, if athey
Remain water supply.
China’s
As far as China is concerned, whether or not India would
ever want to deprive China of water is irrelevant. The fact is
that they could, and this is enough of a threat to China’s
prosperity for them to continue occupying Tibet.
4
Guns and geographical good fortune make the United
States invulnerable.

If you were to think of the world in terms of real estate,3 0

9 9
which country do you think a realtor would hold in
6 4 the
highest regard? If you factor in things like good3neighbors,
12 most
3
water supplies and state-of-the-art security features,
0
real estate agents would put the United States of America
i m
on the top of their list. h a
T h
l i
Unlike most of the countries mentioned in these pages, the
United States has few concernsA about traditional invasions.
o d
The geographical position s oof the United States is unique in
a practically invulnerable to any
that it makes the country M
invading army. Itsluonlyb neighbors are Canada and Mexico,
and they’re not C just friendly, they’re also big enough that
r s
'army attempting to reach the United States by
any invading
d e
a these countries would have to establish
going through
e
R long supply lines.
impossibly
Perhaps the best protection the United States has working
in its favor are the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, which
border the country’s west and east coasts, respectively. This
effectively cuts off the east and the west from attacks, since
any invading force would have to contend with an entire,
volatile ocean before even reaching its target.
As for the state-of-the-art security system – well, how does
100,000,000 loaded guns sound?
3 0
The United States’ lenient gun laws have resulted in9every9
small town having the potential to take up arms and 6 4
2 3 any help
immediately defend itself from invasion without
3 1
from the federal government. This is a country 0 with the
right to bear arms written into its socialimfabric, so guns are
a h
h
within easy reach for millions of Americans.
T
Any invading force would haveAlai new set of armed civilians
in every Springfield and Sunnydaleo d they come across.
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5
Geography has blessed northern Europe and blighted
its south.

Thanks to the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution,3 0

99for
Europe has hugely contributed to the modern world,
6 4
better or for worse. This isn’t just happenstance;3 it’s due in
1 2 rainfall
3
large part to Europe’s temperate climate, generous
0
and fertile soil, all of which helped build thriving societies.
i m
Due to geography, however, some areas a h of Europe have
T h
thrived more than others.
l i
A
In 2012, when the Eurozonedcrisis was at its peak, nasty
oo
s
stereotypes began appearing in German media with
increasing frequency,Minaattempts to explain why some
b experiencing such a severe
regions of Europeluwere
economic downturn. C
r 's
d e these generalizations portrayed northern
In particular,
e
Europeans
a as industrious hard workers, and southern
R
Europeans as a bunch of lazy slackers. But rather than being
attributable to work ethic, the true reason for the struggles
of some southern European countries lies in geography.
The same Northern European Plain that haunts Russia has
provided France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands
with fertile soil and a wealth of productive crops. As a result,
they’re the nations associated with hard work and money.
And with a surplus of crops and goods to trade, northern
Europe became home to bustling cities of commerce and 3 0
major urban hubs. 99 4
In contrast, countries in southern Europe have23far less
6
arable land. 3 1
0
Greece, for example, doesn’t have enough i m fertile land to be
a h
a major agricultural exporter, and this h also means that the
country can only develop a smallli T handful of those major
Aabundant in the north. It's in
cities of commerce that are so
o d
these cities, like Londonsand o Hamburg, where you’ll find
the highly educated and a skilled workers that drive forward
M
modern economies.
l ub
Unfortunately'sfor C southern European nations like Greece,
er plays a major factor in its well-being and
geographydstill
politicaleafuture.
R
6
Geography has given Africa beautiful but impractical
waterways.

The relationship Africa has with its oceans and waterways 3 0 is

9
a complex and frustrating one, and this isn’t just as49a result
of its vast deserts. Africa is home to some of the 3 6world’s
12as legendary
most stunning beaches and coastlines, as well
03
rivers. But as we’ll see, African countries have been dealt a
i m
difficult hand when it comes to beinghable to use these
a
waterways for commercial gain. Th
l i
A
For starters, Africa’s picture-perfect coastline is all but
o d
so
useless when it comes to setting up harbors.
a
M coastlines found along Europe
Unlike much of the jagged
l ub where the ocean sharply declines into
and the United States,
deep waters thatCare perfect for docking boats, Africa’s
r 's
shoreline isemostly smooth and shallow. This makes it
a
impossible
d for cargo ships to load and unload goods for
Re
importing and exporting.
While this remains a problem, human ingenuity is starting to
find a way around Africa’s problematic geography. Tanzania
and Angola, for instance, have formed partnerships with
China to start creating man-made deepwater harbors. In
Tanzania, they’re using sheer brute force to expand the port
of Bagamoyo so that it will eventually be able to load and
unload 20 million containers of cargo each year, making it
Africa’s biggest port.
03
9
But Africa’s challenges don’t end with the coastline. Moving
9
4
inland, it’s Africa’s rivers that pose another geographical
6
obstacle that has hindered trade. 2 3
3 1
The Zambezi River is one of the continent’s 0 longest and
i m
most spectacular rivers. Its 1,600-mile waterway runs
h
a with whitewater
through six countries and is punctuatedh
l
rapids and breathtaking waterfalls, i Tsuch as Victoria Falls.
These stunning features maydbe A great for adventurers, but
oo usefulness for transportation.
they severely limit the river’s
a s
Simply put, cargo ships M and waterfalls don’t mix.
b
The impracticalityluof Africa’s rivers as useful trade routes
C and contact between the continent’s
has made both
r 's trade
d e very limited. This has, in turn, significantly
different regions
e
hindered aeconomic development across the continent and
R major trade routes from forming.
prevented
7
Geography has gifted North Korea with hills, while
there’s flat land in South Korea all the way to Seoul.

3
With the seemingly endless threats it poses to neighboring 0
99–
countries, North Korea is becoming a major headache
6 4
especially for South Korea. You may be wondering
2 3 how this
difficult arrangement has lasted so long and,31once again, the
answer lies in geography. 0
i m
Even though South Korea has twiceathe h population and 80
T h
times the economic power of North
l i Korea, not to mention
A
having a superpower like the United States on its side,
d
South Korea has remainedoothe vulnerable one.
a s
This is because of theMhills and elevated terrain located
along North Korea’sl ub side of the border, which is located
only 35 miles awayC from Seoul, South Korea’s capital city,
's
where half eofr the country’s 50 million citizens live.
a d
Within ethese hills, military experts estimate that North
R
Korea has 10,000 weapons stashed, ready to fire 500,000
rounds into the city of Seoul within 60 minutes. So, if a
conflict were to occur, South Korea knows that it would
have to immediately contend with millions of civilians
fleeing south from Seoul, while at the same time trying to
create a strong defensive line in that area. It doesn’t take a
strategic genius to recognize that this is a recipe for chaos.
Another geographic feature working against South Korea is
that the 35 miles of land separating Seoul from North
3 0side
9
Korea are flat, making the hills along the North Korean
9
of the border even more dangerous. 4 6
2 3
Therefore, if North Korea were to launch a surprise 1 attack,
their army could move quite easily over the 03flat terrain and
into the heart of the enemy’s capital city, i mlanding a
a h
devastating blow. On the other hand, h if South Korea were
l
to launch a surprise attack, it wouldi T immediately hit a series
of geographical speed bumpsd that A would slow down ground
troops and make them vulnerableoo to attack.
a s
This is partly why these M two opposing nations have
l
remained in a political ub deadlock for over 50 years.
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8
Final summary
The key message in this book:
Societies are inevitably shaped by the land upon which they exist.
Natural resources and geographic features can provide safety and30
9 9
4
prosperity or leave a country’s citizens exposed and struggling.
6
3
Geography has been a determining factor in the wars humans
2 modern
fight, as
3
well as the speed of our economic development. Although1
0
technology now allows us to bend the rules of geography, it still remains
i m
h out the way they are
crucial to understanding why nations have turned
a
today. Thl i
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