This biennial reference book is produced by the Insituto del Tercer Mundo, based in Montevideo. New International has been involved in the production and marketing of the English version for some years. The book is described as an alternative reference to the countries of our planet and is intended to counter the Eurocentric and North Americocentric stance of many reference books. The introductory pages have brief abstracts of the general essays in the first section. There is an explanation of the layout of the countries sections, with a full list of countries (which is useful as some countries have new names and the five European mini‐states are grouped together). Sources of statistics and method of accounting are also described. There is also a brief explanation of the layout of the World in Figures section.
The book starts with 19 essays of about two pages each on topics such as Indigenous People, Water, Globalisation, Work, Communications, and Taxes. These look at the problems from the perspective of the Third World. A number of these have summary tables of statistics. To read them through, as perhaps only a reviewer would, highlights the complexity of the problems. There are tensions between increased wealth and opportunity with globalisation, between access to the Internet and indigenous culture, between population growth and the industrialisation of agriculture. The essay on the role of geography differs from others in that it takes a theoretical position asking how we view our planet and its people. These are followed by accounts of the countries of the world covering about two pages with various statistics presented in fact boxes or as tables. The statistics include population, life expectancy, national debt, military spending and the like. There is for each country a Profile box giving an overview of the environment, society, the state, demography and health.
I read the section on the UK first: the history is basically correct, although I might have emphasised other points. The descriptions of the current economic status and recent political changes, which form about a third of the account, are fair and accurate.
Having used the UK as a test of the quality of the country sections (a test the book passes well) I went on to read other country sections. My selections were from Europe and the British Commonwealth and included Poland, Iceland, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Aotearoa/New Zealand. For the purpose of this review I have looked at countries about which I know something of the history and politics. As with the UK I was, in general, satisfied with what I read. I do not claim a deep knowledge of the countries I selected and I found the information that was new to me was of interest. I am now more aware of the precolonial history of several countries. Amongst the country accounts are separate accounts of special topics like Hong Kong (Xiang gang), Incan culture, AIDS in Africa, and national conflict in the former USSR. Disputes areas like Mayotte, of the Comoros Islands and the Falklands/Malvinas are dealt with separately. The countries section also has three pages of bibliography and 44 columns of index. The final section, the World in Figures, lists 20 basic statistics for each country.
This volume is packed with facts and figures; it addresses important issues and it is easy to use. Any one interested in development and other aspects of the Third World will find this a very useful book. It can also be used as a good geographical reference book by those who have no specific agenda. It would be useful as a school or public library reference book, and it is very reasonably priced.
