Russia is the world's largest country. Nearly twice the size of the United States, it stretches across 11 time zones, from west to east. Russia's unique landscape is made up of several vegetation zones, from forests to deserts. Russia's population is as diverse as its geography. Although Russians make up nearly 80 percent of the population, more than 100 ethnic groups make this vast land their home, the largest groups being the Tatars and Ukrainians.

Finally here is a book about Scotland that keeps kilts, bagpipes and such in proper perspective. In the first paragraph Mr. Dendinger lists images everyone associates with Scotland, then adds that it is also the country that produces half of all laptop computers sold in Europe. He adds details about the international technological activity in Scotland's Silicon Glen that lets the reader know Scotland is a technologically sophisticated country. As he describes the romance and beauty of the Scottish countryside, he also tells about the effects of devolution, supranationalism, the European Union and North Sea oil. Instead of falling back on simplistic conclusions about complex issues, this author provides a balanced discussion of the many viewpoints about these and other topics that affect life in Scotland. He describes Scotland's past and even tackles projections about the future. This excellent book in the "Modern World Nations" series includes these chapters: "Introducing Scotland," "Natural Landscapes," "Scotland Through Time," "People and Culture," "Nation and State," "Economy," "Regional Contrasts," and "Future of Scotland." In addition, the book has maps, facts and history at a glance, further reading, Internet-accessed resources, a bibliography and an index.

Here's a way to travel to the land of giddy fun without actually getting stoned. This full-color game book is filled with word teasers, crosswords, and visual puzzles all relating to marijuana. Hip Word Squares, Pothead Park, Buds or Busted, and Marijuana Maze are a few of the games.
sorry for the quality

This book, part of the "Modern World Nations" series, provides a snapshot of The United States of America. Chapters cover geography, history, people and culture, government and politics, the economy, lifestyles in the U.S., and possibilities for the future. The text is dense and presented in very long sentences and paragraphs, so even though the book is small and might appeal to younger readers, the narrative will probably work best for the older end of the age range. The text focuses on the diversity that helps define the United States: the diversity in environment, culture, climate, and especially population. The book includes many interesting photographs and samples of artwork from earlier times, which supports the information in the text. The book also includes several elements to help students doing research, including a list of pertinent facts, history highlights, a bibliography, suggestions for further reading and research, and a detailed index.

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Jared Diamond argues that both geography and the environment played major roles in determining the shape of the modern world. This argument runs counter to the usual theories that cite biology as the crucial factor. Diamond claims that the cultures that were first able to domesticate plants and animals were then able to develop writing skills, as well as make advances in the creation of government, technology, weaponry, and immunity to disease