For hundreds of years, Britain ruled the seas and had an empire on which the sun never set - but for thousands of years before that, Britain was nothing more than a group of insignificant islands on the northwestern fringes of Europe.

Drawing on the latest archaeological and historical evidence, Ian Morris shows how the significance of Britain's geography has changed in the 10,000 years since the seas began to separate the islands from the Continent and how these changing significances have determined the fates of the British people.

From being merely the fragmented and strife-ridden periphery of Europe - divided by customs, language, and landscape, and always under the influence of more powerful neighboring partners - the British transformed themselves into the United Kingdom and placed it at the heart of global politics, trade, and culture.

But as power and wealth now shift from the West to China, what fate awaits Britain in the 21st century?