The Power of Geography: Ten Maps that Reveal the Future of Our World – the sequel to Prisoners of Geography

by Tim Marshall

Ibn Saud had united Saudi Arabia by force of arms; to hold it together he then married a daughter from each of the defeated tribes and senior religious families. He had about twenty wives but, in accordance with religious law, never more than four at a time. The result was more than 100 children and the creation of a family network which dominates the state.

more Spanish words are taken from Arabic than any other language apart from Latin.

‘Claiming there is no other life in the universe is like scooping up some water, looking at the cup, and claiming there are no whales in the ocean.’