这是一部以通俗的手法描写以人的衍动与发展为中心的世界地理巨著，它是由付兰裔美国著名历史学家、作家房龙编著而成。在简要介绍基本地理知识之后，作者按国别或特征地理地区分别讲述了其地理环境，侧重于分析地理对国家或地区的历史演变、国家或地区性格的形成、民族特性等影响，因此这是一本关于“人的”地理书。

在20世纪的历史学家和科普作家中，房龙不仅素以多才多艺、学识渊博著称，行文汪洋恣肆，辞采丰赡，而且始终以敏锐的目光和深邃的洞察力思考着人类生存与发展的本质问题，以真理之光和宽广的胸怀启迪和滋养着读者的心智。可以说，房龙是少数几位能够站在人文主义的立场审视全人类的历史与文化的思想家。

郁达夫曾评价说：“房龙的笔，有一种魅力……无论大人孩子，读他的书，都娓娓忘倦了。”

著名学者曹聚仁也评价说，房龙的书，“这50年中，我总是看了又看，除了《儒林外史》。《红楼梦》，没有其他的书这么吸引我了。”

Chapter 1  AND THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

Chapter 2  A DEFINITION OF THE WORD GEOGRAPHY AND HOW I SHALL APPLY IT IN THE PRESENT VOLUME

Chapter 3  OUR PLANET: ITS HABITS, CUSTOMS AND MANNERS

Chapter 4  MAPS. A VERY BRIEF CHAPTER UPON A VERY BIG AND FASCINATING SUBJECT. TOGETHER WITH A FEW OBSERVATIONS ON THE WAY PEOPLE SLOWLY LEARNED HOW TO FIND THEIR WAY ON THIS PLANET OF OURS

Chapter 5  THE SEASONS AND HOW THEY HAPPEN

Chapter 6  CONCERNING THE LITTLE SPOTS OF DRY LAND ON THIS PLANET AND WHY SOME OF THEM ARE CALLED CONTINENTS WHILE OTHERS ARE NOT

Chapter 7  OF THE DISCOVERY OF EUROPE AND THE SORT OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD

INTFRLUDE  JUST A MOMENT BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER WHILE I TELL YOU HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Chapter 8  GREECE, THE ROCKY PROMONTORY OF THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN WHICH ACTED AS THE CONNECTING LINK BETWEEN THE OLD ASIA AND THE NEW EUROPE

Chapter 9  ITALY, THE COUNTRY WHICH DUE TO ITS GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION COULD PLAY THE ROLE OF A SEA-POWER OR A LAND POWER, AS THE OCCASION DEMANDED

Chapter 10  SPAIN, WHERE AFRICA AND EUROPE CLASHED

Chapter 11  FRANCE, THE COUNTRY THAT HAS EVERYTHING IT WANTS

Chapter 12  BELGIUM, A COUNTRY CREATED BY SCRAPS OF PAPER AND RICH IN EVERYTHING EXCEPT INTERNAL HARMONY

Chapter 13  LUXEMBURG, THE HISTORICAL CURIOSITY

Chapter 14  SWITZERLAND, THE COUNTRY OF HIGH MOUNTAINS, EXCELLENT SCHOOLS AND A UNIFIED PEOPLE WHO SPEAK FOUR DIFFERENT LANGUAGES

Chapter 15  GERMANY, THE NATION THAT WAS FOUNDED TOO LATE

Chapter 16 AUSTRIA, THE COUNTRY THAT NOBODY APPRECIATED UNTIL IT NO LONGER EXISTED

Chapter 17  DENMARK, AN OBJECT LESSON IN CERTAIN ADVANTAGES OF SMALL COUNTRIES OVER LARGE ONES

Chapter 18  ICELAND, AN INTERESTING POLITICAL LABORATORY IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN

Chapter 19  THE SCANDINAVIAN PENINSULA, THE TERRTORY OCCUPIED BY THE KINGDOMS OF SWEDEN AND NORWAY

Chapter 20  THE NETHERLANDS, THE SWAMP ON THE BANKS OF THE NORTH SEA THAT BECAME AN EMPIRE

Chapter 21  GREAT BRITAIN, AN ISLAND OFF THE DUTCH COAST WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HAPPINESS OF FULLY ONE-QUARTER OF THE HUMAN RACE

Chapter 22  RUSSIA, THE COUNTRY WHICH WAS PREVENTED BY ITS GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION FROM EVER FINDING OUT WHETHER IT WAS PART OF EUROPE OR OF ASIA

Chapter 23  POLAND, THE COUNTRY THAT HAD ALWAYS SUFFERED FROM BEING A CORRIDOR AND THEREFORE NOW HAS A CORRIDOR OF ITS OWN

Chapter 24  CZECHOSLOVAKIA, A PRODUCT OF THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

Chapter 25  YUGOSLAVIA, ANOTHER PRODUCT OF THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

Chapter 26  BULGARIA, THE SOUNDEST OF ALL BALKAN COUNTRIES, WHOSE BUTTERFLY COLLECTING KING BET ON THE WRONG HORSE DURING THE GREAT WAR AND SUFFERED THE CONSEQUENCES

Chapter 27  ROUMANIA, A COUNTRY WHICH HAS OIL AND A ROYAL FAMILY

Chapter 28  HUNGARY, OR WHAT REMAINS OF IT

Chapter 29  FINLAND, ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHAT HARD WORK AND INTELLIGENCE CAN ACHIEVE AMID HOSTILE NATURAL SURROUNDINGS

Chapter 30  THE DISCOVERY OF ASIA

Chapter 31  WHAT ASIA HAS MEANT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD

Chapter 32  THE CENTRAL ASIATIC HIGHLANDS

Chapter 33  THE GREAT WESTERN PLATEAU OF ASIA

Chapter 34  ARABIA OR WHEN IS A PART OF ASIA NOT A PART OF ASIA?

Chapter 35  INDIA, WHERE NATURE AND MAN ARE ENGAGED IN MASS PRODUCTION

Chapter 36  BURMA, SIAM, ANAM AND MALACCA, WHICH OCCUPY THE OTHER GREAT SOUTHERN PENINSULA OF ASIA

Chapter 37  THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA, THE GREAT PENINSULA OF EASTERN ASIA

Chapter 38  KOREA, MONGOLIA AND MANCHURIA, IF THE LATTER STILL EXISTS WHEN THIS BOOK IS PUBLISHED

Chapter 39  THE JAPANESE EMPIRE

Chapter 40  THE PHILIPPINS, AN OLD ADMINISTRATIVE PART OF MEXICO

Chapter 41  THE DUTCH EAST IND IES, THE TAIL THAT WAGS THE DOG

Chapter 42  AUSTRALIA, THE STEP CHILD OF NATURE

Chapter 43  NEW ZEALAND

Chapter 44  THE ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC WHERE PEOPLE NEITHER TOILED NOR SPUN BUT LIVED JUST THE SAME

Chapter 45  AFRICA, THE CONTINENT OF CONTRADICTIONS AND CONTRASTS

Chapter 46  AMERICA, THE MOST FORTUNATE OF ALL

Chapter 47  A NEW WORLD