Myths of Geography

Is geography really destiny? Our maps may no longer be stalked by dragons and monsters,but our perceptions of the world are still shaped by geographic myths. Myths like Europe being the center of the world. Or that border walls are the solution to migration. Or that Russia is predestined to threaten its neighbors. In his punchy and authoritative new bookPaul Richardson challenges recent popular accounts of geographical determinism and shows that how we see the world represented often isn’t how it really is–that the map is not the territory. Along the way we visit some remarkable places: Iceland’s Thingvellir National Parkwhere you can swim between two continents; Bir Tawil in North Africaone of the world’s only territories not claimed by any country; and we follow the first train that ran across Eurasia between Yiwu in East China and Barking in East London. Written with verve and full of quotable factsMyths of Geography is a book that will turn your world upside down.