'The Power of Geography' Reminds Us How the Land Shapes the Past, Present, and Future

A British friend likes to tease me with this chronic refrain about America: “We have furniture older than your country.” The implication is that Britain and other European countries are older than us newcomers in the New World. The truth is that the nation-states of the Old World are relatively new, too; barely older than the United States.

The lines we draw on maps result from a combination of culture, language, history, and—probably most of all—geography. Tim Marshall, a British journalist, has made the study of geography his focus. His book, Prisoners of Geography, explored how features of landscapes dictate the fates of nations and peoples. In his more recent work, The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World (the latest in my reading series), Marshall delves into how geography plays an outsized role in shaping the historical and modern politics of 8 countries and 2 regions, one of which is out of this world.

As a history and geography student, I find Marshall’s work fascinating and informative. Again, as my British friend reminds me, Americans are often insular in their views and knowledge of the world. We see things from our perspective—a people driven by Manifest Destiny—to tame and shape the lands between the Atlantic and Pacific. We often imprint our ways of thinking on other countries and peoples without consideration of their cultures, histories, or landscapes—Marshall’s writings in both Prisoners and Power of Geography cut through those biases.

After reading Prisoners last year, I thought the follow-up, Power, would be more about the advantages some countries have because of their physical landscapes. You can explain much of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine because of its lack of natural defenses along its borders and the need to control the nine gates into its territory (see Peter Zeihan’s The End of the World is Just the Beginning). Thank goodness Marshall gave us more than that.

In The Power of Geography, Marshall selects 10 places in which geography has shaped culture and the human experience. He goes into great detail to explain why most of the people in Australia live along its eastern coast, how rivers and separation by water created the industrial and trading power that is the United Kingdom, and how the mountainous land of the Balkan Peninsula created, protected, and influenced what became ancient and modern Greece.

Marshall doesn’t focus only on geography’s ability to create unified cultures and nations. Quite the contrary, Marshall points out how geography often brings disparate peoples together and keeps them separated simultaneously. His account of Spain is a great example. While one of the largest and oldest countries in Europe, Spain is a collection of different micro-countries bound together by geography and history. Even in this relatively small corner of Europe, the people in different regions speak vastly different languages and dialects, retaining their unique cultural identities.

Marshall tells two fascinating stories about Ethiopia and the Sahel, the vast strip of barren desert along the southern edge of the Sahara in North Africa. Marshall explains how geography and politics created Ethiopia, a federalized system of nine distinct sub-states and cultures. The Sahel, known for being virtually void of water, shapes the politics and conflicts of the 12 African countries it touches. The Sahel is often the reason for continuous economic hardships, power struggles, and conflict.

Unexpected in a book about geography is an entire chapter on the control of near-Earth and outer space. Marshall closes Power with an accounting of how this new frontier is heating up as countries—dominated by the United States, Russia, and China—are racing to reach and control the space around Earth and the abundance of resources that lie in the great beyond. Any conflicts in space, Marshall warns, will undoubtedly impact the situation on the ground here on Earth.

The Power of Geography reminds us that we can’t look at situations on the ground around the world with singular, contemporary lenses. We must consider multiple factors when assessing economic and trading, geopolitical relations, culture, and even the state of borders. The world is not static, as Marshall aptly notes. Geography often shapes history—past, present, and future—and is worth continuous study.?

I'm on a mission to read 50 books in 2025. This is book 11 in my journey. What books are you reading? What books should I read? Share your thoughts in the comments or message me. All thoughts and suggestions are welcomed.