Ethiopia ensures good transport links to ports on the African east coast and owns stakes in ports in Kenya and Sudan to ensure its exports are shipped. Landlocked countries like Ethiopia biggest concern are access to the sea to trade. These timeless characteristics dictate international alliances for countries to know where the threats lie. Mountain ranges like the Pyrenees in Spain are excellent natural barriers against a ground invasion by a neighbouring country. For example, landlocked countries like Uganda would not need a navy as much as an island like Australia. Geography and a country’s defence interests are intertwined. The books simple format is easy to follow but could be accused of repetition, especially when referring to what keeps Generals awake at night appears constantly.

Each chapter focuses on a country and starts by describing the key geographical characteristics and then a brief history before explaining how its current territory affects its geopolitics. Readers familiar with Marshall’s first book, Prisoners of Geography, will not be surprised with the format of each of the ten chapters. Marshall takes nine countries (and Space) and explains how their geographical makeup determines their geopolitical stories. Countries with access to seas, rivers, mountain ranges, and even soil types all determine a country’s trade routes and defence concerns. Since the dawn of trade, geography has been the primary constraint in determining which trade routes grew and which economies developed. Nations have fought wars and built empires to source resources such as raw materials and even slaves. Marshall proves the importance that geography has on international trade and the development of countries around the world. Tim Marshall’s third book, The Power of Geography, is just as relevant for Economists as books about Adam Smith are.

The power of geography by tim marshall