Geopolitics is the study of the effects of Earth's geography on politics and international relations.

In "one of the best books about geopolitics", now updated to include 2016 geopolitical developments, journalist examines Russia, China, the US, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Japan, Korea, and Greenland and the Arctic--their weather, seas, mountains, rivers, deserts, and borders--to provide a context often missing from our political reportage: how the physical characteristics of these countries affect their strengths and vulnerabilities and the decisions made by their leaders.