All the Countries: And the Few We Never Got Round To

Packed with thought-provoking and intriguing facts, an entertaining look at the UK's imperial past as you've never seen it before

Out of 193 countries that are currently UN member states, the UK has invaded or fought conflicts in the territory of 171. That’s not far off a massive, jaw-dropping 90 percent. Not too many Britons know that the UK invaded Iran in World War II with the Soviets. You can be fairly sure a lot more Iranians do. Or what about the time they arrived with elephants to invade Ethiopia? Every summer, hordes of British tourists now occupy Corfu and the other Ionian islands. Find out how they first invaded them armed with cannons instead of cameras and set up the United States of the Ionian Islands. Think the Philippines have always been outside their zone of influence? Think again. Read the surprising story of their 18th century occupation of Manila and how they demanded a ransom of millions of dollars for the city. This book takes a look at some of the truly awe-inspiring ways the UK has been a force, for good and for bad, right across the world. A lot of people are vaguely aware that a quarter of the globe was once pink, but that’s not even half the story. They're a dynamic and irrepressible nation, and this is how they changed the world, often when it didn't ask to be changed!