geography

A look at the geography, geology, climate, and ecology of Asia.

"Human beings have inhabited the banks of the Amazon River since 13,000 BC and yet they make up just a small percentage of the 'population' of this geographic wonderland. The Amazon River basin teems with life--animal and plant alike. It's a rainforest that is home to an estimated 390 billion individual trees, 2.5 million species of insects, and hundreds of amazing creatures and plants that can either cure diseases, or, like the poison dart frog, kill with a single touch. 'Where Is the Amazon?' reveals the amazing scale of a single rainforest that we are still trying to understand today and that, in many ways, supports our existence on this planet"--Provided by publisher.

Walk through the agora in Athens, train for battle in Sparta, and watch athletes compete in the Olympic Games in honor of Zeus, the king of the gods. Welcome to ancient Greece! Learn about how people lived, including the different jobs they had, what foods they ate, and what children did for fun. Also discover how ancient Greece influenced philosophy, government, art, architecture, language, and more in the Western world throughout millennia.

Travel back thousands of years to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers where the world's first cities developed. Welcome to ancient Mesopotamia! Learn about how people lived, including the different jobs they had, what foods they ate, and what children did for fun. Also discover how ancient Mesopotamians created the wheel, irrigation systems, written language, and other groundbreaking inventions that altered the course of human history.

Travel back thousands of years to ancient China, one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Learn about how people lived, including the different jobs they had, what foods they ate, and what children did for fun. Also discover how influential rulers changed the country throughout the centuries and how ancient Chinese inventions altered the course of human history.

Hear a rousing speech at the forum; watch gladiators battle for their lives at the Colosseum; enjoy some stuffed dormice, olives, and figs; and catch a chariot race at the Circus Maximus. Welcome to ancient Rome! Learn about how people lived, including the different jobs they had, what foods they ate, and what children did for fun. Also explore some other cities of the Roman Empire and discover how influential rulers changed the world throughout the ages.

Travel back thousands of years to the northeast corner of Africa along the Nile River. Welcome to Ancient Egypt! Learn about how people lived, including the different jobs they had, what foods they ate, and what children did for fun. Also discover how influential rulers changed the country throughout history, how mummies were created, and who constructed the pyramids.

The United Kingdom occupies such a central role in world history that it's hard to escape its influence. A deep respect for historical traditions, with influence from its imperial past, marks contemporary culture in the U.K.

Simon Winchester draws upon his travels throughout the Pacific and its surrounding areas, as well as research, to examine the modern geopolitical history of the Pacific Ocean.