Finland is a Scandinavian country bordered by Sweden to the west and Russia to the east, both of which countries have controlled it prior to obtaining full independence in 1917. Finland is economically one of the world’s most prosperous countries, with a population of only 5.2 million and two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. It is a land of extremes with almost half the year in darkness and the other half with the “midnight sun”. The capital is Helsinki, which has been designated the World Design Capital for 2012.
Click here for a story of the heroic defence of Finland in the 1939-40 “Winter War”

Lonely Planet Finland (Country Travel Guide) List Price: $23.99 Price: $16.31 Read Reviews

Finland: The Essential Guide to Customs & Etiquette (Culture Smart!) List Price: $9.95 Price: $5.37 Read Reviews

The Rough Guide to Finland (Rough Guides) List Price: $22.99 Price: $13.24 Read Reviews

Living in Finland (Living in... Series) List Price: $50.00 Price: $66.44 Read Reviews

Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf List Price: $29.95 Price: $19.89 Read Reviews

Finland (Exploring Countries of the World) List Price: $9.95 Price: $25.93 Read Reviews

….. and here’s another, more broadly Scandinavian, selection
(there may be some overlaps with our selection above,
as this next section is autogenerated from the Amazon stocklist)

Zimbabwe has suffered a painful past, and still is in deep difficulty both politically and economically. The selection of books on this page will give insights into this troubled nation.

Zimbabwe (Bradt Travel Guide) List Price: $25.99 Price: $12.98 Read Reviews

Zimbabwe: Years of Hope and Despair List Price: $18.50 Price: $11.18 Read Reviews

Mugabe: Power, Plunder, and the Struggle for Zimbabwe's Future List Price: $14.95 Price: $4.84 Read Reviews

Where We Have Hope: A Memoir of Zimbabwe List Price: $14.00 Price: $8.34 Read Reviews

The Last Safari: A Season of Discovery in Zimbabwe List Price: $22.99 Price: $22.51 Read Reviews

Bitter Harvest: Zimbabwe and the Aftermath of its Independence List Price: $24.95 Price: $12.48 Read Reviews

….. and here’s another more broadly relevant selection
(there may be some overlaps with our selection above,
as this next section is autogenerated from the Amazon stocklist)

Brussels is the federal capital of Belgium. It is also the capital of each of the two communities of Belgium, the French and the Flemish, but this is not the place to attempt a detailed description of the confusing complexities of Belgian government and administration.

Brussels also is the administrative centre of the European Union and has one of the two European Parliament buildings, the other being in Strasbourg. Many other internationaol bodies are based here, including the headquarters of NATO.

The large number of such organisations has led to some areas of the city containing major modern buildings, but the ancient character of the old city has also been retained, La Grande Place with its splendid Hôtel de Ville being recognised globally as a World Heritage Site, and a big attraction to both residents and tourists.

Below we give a selection of guidebooks and histories to help you enjoy your visit – either real or virtual.

Frommer's Brussels and Bruges Day By Day (Frommer's Day by Day - Pocket) List Price: $13.99 Price: $7.62 Read Reviews

Brussels (Eyewitness Travel Guides) List Price: $20.00 Price: $29.93 Read Reviews

Top 10 Brussels (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides) List Price: $14.00 Price: $11.00 Read Reviews

A History of the Low Countries (Palgrave Essential Histories) List Price: $30.00 Price: $21.84 Read Reviews

Lonely Planet Belgium & Luxembourg (Country Travel Guide) List Price: $21.99 Price: $13.55 Read Reviews

Australia, the world’s largest island, is not usually thought of as such. It is usually today considered to be a continent, making Greenland the largest “island” on the planet.

Whatever its geographical description (and geographers differ considerably on the matter, with a variety of other competing and often confusing continental names such as Australasia and Oceania) the historical fact is that it was first found by European explorers in the early seventeenth century.

This was not, of course the start of Australian history. Indigenous peoples had been here for millennia. Several books now describe the history of this great land, and a selection is given below.

A Concise History of Australia (Cambridge Concise Histories) List Price: $30.00 Price: $15.98 Read Reviews

A Traveller's History of Australia List Price: $14.95 Price: $9.10 Read Reviews

Australia: A New History of the Great Southern Land List Price: $24.95 Price: $0.96 Read Reviews

A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia List Price: $16.00 Price: $6.97 Read Reviews

In a Sunburned Country List Price: $15.99 Price: $1.99 Read Reviews

The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding List Price: $19.95 Price: $4.76 Read Reviews

Very often thinking about economics is focused on a single nation – usually our own, with a considerable dose of self-interest. The reality is, however, that we live in a world where the fortunes of all nations hang together. The global economy is highly interconnected. No nation, however, powerful is economically independent of others. Nations are interdependent. This selection of books includes both popular treatment of the subject and also some academic texts.

A Beginner's Guide to the World Economy List Price: $15.00 Price: $7.56 Read Reviews

The 21st Century Economy--A Beginner's Guide (Vintage) List Price: $15.95 Price: $7.02 Read Reviews

The Geography of the World Economy List Price: $54.95 Price: $27.33 Read Reviews

The World Economy: Geography, Business, Development (6th Edition) List Price: $157.00 Price: $106.95 Read Reviews

The World Economy: Resources, Location, Trade and Development (5th Edition) List Price: $147.80 Price: $27.88 Read Reviews

The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy List Price: $26.95 Price: $13.45 Read Reviews

Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium (Princeton Economic History of the Western World) List Price: $35.00 Price: $25.95 Read Reviews

Economic Geography: The Integration of Regions and Nations List Price: $75.00 Price: $52.00 Read Reviews

For families, schools and cummunity libraries the lavishly illustrated 300+ pages of “Geography Of The World” survey continents, nations, and cultures around the globe. Widely recommended by educators.

Geography of the World List Price: $23.99 Price: $11.12 Read Reviews

This book will be helpful to younger students and adults alike, a great resource in the home, but in support of school studies take a look also at:

A Child's Introduction to the World: Geography, Cultures, and People - From the Grand Canyon to the Great Wall of China List Price: $19.95 Price: $7.31 Read Reviews

The Handy Geography Answer Book (The Handy Answer Book Series) List Price: $21.95 Price: $8.98 Read Reviews

From ancient times, through the period of the first European arrivals to the present day the rich history of Canada from coast to coast is covered in this collection of books.

The Penguin History of Canada List Price: $20.00 Price: $11.34 Read Reviews

A Short History of Canada: Sixth Edition List Price: $21.95 Price: $11.08 Read Reviews

A Traveller's History of Canada List Price: $14.95 Price: $9.25 Read Reviews

A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada List Price: $50.00 Price: $20.00 Read Reviews

The History of Canada List Price: $165.00 Price: $165.00 Read Reviews

With 400 pages of travel writing from National Geographic this makes a splendid gift. Its travel stories and recommendations spread across every continent. Methods of travel range from 4×4 to horseback to ocean liner. With great photography, maps and lists this is a book packed with information and ideas.

Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips List Price: $40.00 Price: $16.28 Read Reviews

And here are two more you’ll enjoy.

Secret Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Best Hidden Travel Gems (National Geographic) List Price: $40.00 Price: $20.63 Read Reviews

Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe List Price: $40.00 Price: $16.49 Read Reviews

The Nile fascinated explorers for centuries. It was well-known in Egypt, but where did it come from? What was its source? Is it the world’s longest river? Geographers differ on that last question. At over four thousand miles in length there may be as little as twenty or thirty miles difference from the Amazon, but which is the longer? The following selection of books covers many aspects of the history, geography and expoloration of the mysterious river.

The Nile List Price: $52.00 Price: $32.00 Read Reviews

Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure List Price: $32.50 Price: $18.00 Read Reviews

The Nile - History, Adventure, and Discovery (Exploration & Discovery) List Price: $45.00 Price: $22.19 Read Reviews

The Blue Nile List Price: $14.99 Price: $7.25 Read Reviews

To the Heart of the Nile: Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa List Price: $16.99 Price: $4.99 Read Reviews

The Quest For The Secret Nile: Victorian Exploration in Equatorial Africa 1857-1888 List Price: $30.00 Price: $12.12 Read Reviews

Nightmare Along the River Nile: Abducted by the LRA List Price: $15.00 Price: $11.26 Read Reviews

Flying over Greenland it looks rather like one continuous land mass with North America, but deep under the ice there is water. It is the world’s largest island, if we exclude Australia which is usually categorised as a continent.

The Frozen Echo: Greenland and the Exploration of North America, ca. A.D. 1000-1500 List Price: $30.95 Price: $23.00 Read Reviews

Politically, Greenland is within the Kingdom of Denmark, although it functions autonomously. Norse seafarers first established settlements on the then uninhabited island around a thousand years ago, and Inuit (Eskimo) peoples also migrated in around the 14th century.

With less than 60,000 people it is one of the least densely populated areas of the world. Much of the island is covered by glaciers, although the southern areas without ice cover can be quite “green” in the summer months. The climate has fluctuated considerably over the centuries. The economy is largely dependent on fish, but there are significant mineral deposits which have good potential provided that world prices are high enough to cover the costs of extraction.

Here is a selction of books on Greenland, ranging from travel guide to tales of exploration.

The First Crossing of Greenland 2 Volume Set (Cambridge Library Collection - Travel and Exploration) List Price: $78.00 Price: $67.39 Read Reviews

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland List Price: $18.95 Price: $7.00 Read Reviews

Greenland Expedition: Where Ice Is Born List Price: $24.95 Price: $24.87 Read Reviews

Trekking in Greenland: The Arctic Circle Trail (Cicerone Guides) List Price: $24.95 Price: $15.14 Read Reviews

Beyond the Imaginary Gates: Journeys in the Fjord region of Northeast Greenland List Price: $49.95 Price: $36.03 Read Reviews