The Atlas of World Affairs, 11th edition

265 Pages·2007·5.57 MB·English

by  Andrew Boyd

An Atlas of
World Affairs
The economic, social and environmental systems of the world remain in turmoil. Recent
years have seen possibly irrevocable change in the politics of Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin
America.
Entirely revised and updated, the eleventh edition of An Atlas of World Affairs describes
the people, factions and events that have shaped the modern world from the Second World
War to the present day. International issues and conflicts are placed in their geographical
contexts through the integration of nearly one hundred maps. The political context
provided for current events will be invaluable to all those uncertain about the changing map
of Europe and Africa, conflicts in the Middle East, and the appearances in the headlines
and on our television screens of al-Qaeda, Chechnya, the Taliban, Mercosur, Somaliland,
Kosovo, AIDS, OPEC and Schengenland. Critical new issues are covered, including the war
on terrorism, nuclear proliferation, European Union expansion, and the pressing environ-
mental concerns faced by many sovereign states. This edition provides guidance through all
these recent changes (and many more).
This book offers up-to-date coverage of all regions in great detail. It contains an object-
ive and concise explanation of current events, combining maps with their geopolitical
background. It provides a clear context for events in the news, covering the Middle East,
Korea, China, the European Union, east Africa and every other part of the world. Revised
and in print since 1957, An Atlas of World Affairs continues to provide a valuable guide for
the student, teacher, journalist and all those interested in current affairs and postwar polit-
ical history.
Andrew Boyd began his acquaintance with international affairs in 1946, when as a British
liaison officer he attended the very first sessions of the United Nations (his other books
include three about the UN). He travelled widely and reported on international affairs while
writing on world affairs for The Economist for 37 years.
Joshua Comenetz has used cartographic methods to visualize spatial data and explain
the causes and effects of international conflicts, demographic change and natural disasters
since 1990. As a consultant he has solved problems in areas ranging from political
redistricting to ethnic and religious mapping, and he has taught international relations and
geography at university level.

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An Atlas of
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World Affairs
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Eleventh edition
Andrew Boyd and
Joshua Comenetz
First published 1957 by Methuen & Co. Ltd
Second edition 1959
Third edition 1960
Fourth edition 1962
First published by Methuen as a University Paperback (fifth edition) 1964
Sixth edition 1970
Seventh edition 1983
Reprinted 1985
First published by Routledge (eighth edition) 1987
Reprinted 1989, 1990
Ninth edition 1991
Tenth edition 1998
Eleventh edition published 2007 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library,2007.
“To purchaseyourown copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
© 2007 Andrew Boyd and Joshua Comenetz
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN 0-203-96752-6 Mastere-bookISBN
ISBN10: 0–415–39168–7 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–415–39169–5 (pbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–96752–6 (ebk)
ISBN-13: 978–0–415–39168–9 (hbk)
ISBN-13: 978–0–415–39169–6 (pbk)
ISBN-13: 978–0–203–96752–2 (ebk)
To Andrew
Andrew Boyd first brought An Atlas of World Affairs to our shelves in 1957. Through ten
revised editions, it has become canonical for students, teachers, journalists and anyone with
an interest in postwar politics and current affairs. His comments on the ever-changing
political, economic, social and environmental systems of the world can be accused of
nothing but honesty, without a hint of bias.
In between writing An Atlas of World Affairs and many other works of a similar genre,
he excelled as a journalist for The Economist and was a fantastic father and grandfather.
It was only true to his nature that he bowed out after ten editions, claiming in sublime
modesty that he was not well enough to continue with another edition. Andrew Boyd sadly
passed away in January 2003, but will forever be remembered on both a personal and
professional basis as a talented and extraordinary gentleman.
Written by Claire

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Contents
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Foreword ix
1 People and Pressure 1
2 Economic Groupings 5
3 Energy 8
4 Nuclear Geography 12
5 Sea Law 17
6 No Longer Three Worlds 20
7 United Nations 23
8 Terrorism 27
9 Commonwealth 30
10 Europe: East and West 33
11 Atlantic Alliance 36
12 European Unities 39
13 Germany 44
14 Central and Eastern Europe 47
15 Former Yugoslavia, Albania 51
16 Former Soviet Union 55
17 Russia 58
18 Baltic to Black Sea 61
19 Caucasus 64
20 Ex-Soviet Central Asia 67
21 Scandinavia 71
22 Northern Seas 73
23 Minorities and Micro-States 76
24 Ireland 80
25 Gibraltar 82
26 Cyprus, Greece and Turkey 84
27 Asia and Africa 86
28 Islam 89
29 The Arab World 92
30 Africa 94
31 Southern Africa 97
32 Central Africa 99
33 Angola and Namibia 102
34 Republic of South Africa 105
viii Contents
35 Sudan and the Horn of Africa 108
36 East Africa 111
37 Nigeria and Guinea Coast 114
38 Ex-French Africa 117
39 North Africa 120
40 Morocco and Western Sahara 123
41 Middle East and North African Oil 125
42 Suez and Indian Ocean 128
43 Israel and Arabs I 131
44 Israel and Arabs II 135
45 Lebanon and Syria 140
46 Arabia 143
47 Gulf States and Iran 146
48 Iraq’s Wars 150
49 Kurds 154
50 Afghanistan 156
51 South Asia I 159
52 South Asia II 162
53 Himalayas, Tibet, Burma 165
54 China and Russia 168
55 China and Other Neighbours 171
56 Taiwan 173
57 Hong Kong and Macau 175
58 Japan 177
59 Korea 180
60 South-East Asia 183
61 Indochina 186
62 Cambodia 189
63 Malaysia and Singapore 191
64 Indonesia and New Guinea 193
65 Australia and New Zealand 196
66 South Pacific 199
67 America and the Pacific 202
68 United States of America 205
69 Canada 208
70 Mexico 211
71 Central America, Caribbean, Cuba 213
72 Colombia and Panama 217
73 East Caribbean, Guianas, Venezuela 220
74 Latin America 222
75 Argentina and Falklands 226
76 Antarctic 230
77 Arctic 232
Tables 234
Related Information Sources 237
Index 239
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Foreword
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The world changed dramatically in the past decade. The ‘war on terror’ replaced interstate
war and focused attention on the Middle East. Nuclear proliferation brought Iran, North
Korea, Pakistan and India into the headlines. The US invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, war
engulfed central and eastern Africa from Congo to Sudan, and Somalia collapsed. East
Timor broke away from Indonesia, as did Montenegro from Serbia (and Kosovo sought to
do the same). China absorbed Hong Kong and rose as high as second place in the world
economic ranking; India aimed to follow. The European Union grew to include 27 nations,
and NATO expanded into eastern Europe, both incorporating the former Baltic republics
of the Soviet Union. This revised edition of An Atlas of World Affairs provides guidance
through all these recent changes (and many others).
An Atlas of World Affairs was first published in 1957. The first edition’s foreword included
this passage:
Anyone who tries to set down some of the complexities of this changing world in simple
form is indebted to the pioneer work of Mr J. F. Horrabin. The admirable simplicity of his
pre-war Atlas of Current Affairs is hard to emulate nowadays ... But, like Mr Horrabin’s, this
is still ‘an exercise in the art of leaving out’.
Fifty years on, in the face of ever-increasing complexity, the aim is still to select what is
relevant, and to explain a changing world’s problems with the aid of simple maps and brief
notes.
Notes
For the sake of brevity, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is usually
called Britain; the Netherlands is called Holland, and so on. The United States of America
may be America, the US or the USA. The former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics may
be the Soviet Union or the USSR. The European Union, formerly the European Community,
appears as the EU or the EC.
Distances are expressed in miles. One mile is roughly 1.61 kilometres. One nautical mile
is roughly 1.85 kilometres. To convert square miles into square kilometres, multiply by 2.59.
The ton and the metric tonne are roughly equivalent. There are about seven barrels of oil in
a ton.
An italic number in brackets – e.g. (68) – is a cross-reference. The number refers to a
section and its accompanying map or maps, not to a page. So do the entries in the index.