"Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World" by Tim Marshall

Although the title is a bit of a misnomer, I enjoyed the book and learned quite a lot.

I say it's a misnomer because only a small percent of the content actually related to geography, perhaps 10-15%.  The ten chapters of the book use ten maps as a basic framework, but very little actually derives directly from geography.

It also focused heavily on military considerations, whereas I thought the book took a broader approach, encompassing economic and perhaps cultural development.  Perhaps I need to do a better job of reading blurbs before downloading.

That's not to say it wasn't interesting.  It was very interesting and added to my understanding of foreign affairs and global dynamics.  It served as a review of military and diplomatic relations across just about every corner of the world, from well publicized hot spots (India v. Pakistan) to those new to me (the race between Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark and the U.S. for hegemony in the Arctic).

As just one example of a key learning for me was China's development of a new trans-ismus canal across Nicaragua, providing a more secure, efficient pathway to channel energy from Central and South America back home.  Apparently it's on schedule to open in the 2020s.  Who knew?

The chapters on Africa and South America explained how those two continents struggle to develop  because of each country's isolation from one another.  Their vast rivers don't meet up, and major cities don't connect.  This is partly a function of their geography, but also due to their development by colonial rulers that simply needed to transport mineral resources to the coasts for shipment back home.  Conversely, the interconnected river networks of Europe, and the vast interstate highway system in the United States each play a vital role in development.

Contemporary, foreign affairs continue to interest me (I'm really enjoying my new subscription to Foreign Affairs magazine) as a counterbalance to my love of history and this book helped feed that newly developing topic of study.