Sir Halford John Mackinder fue un geógrafo inglés que contribuyó significativamente a establecer la geografía como una disciplina independiente en el Reino Unido. Su dedicación e influencia moldearon la enseñanza de la geografía más que la de cualquier otro geógrafo británico. Su carrera académica y su trayectoria política reflejan un profundo interés en la comprensión del mundo y su organización. El trabajo de Mackinder sentó las bases para la investigación y la educación geográfica modernas.
In this paper, Mackinder advanced his so-called Heartland Theory, whereby the interior Asia and eastern Europe ("the Heartland") had become the strategic center of the world as a result of the relative decline of sea power against land power and of the economic and industrial development of southern Siberia.
"Halford Mackinder's trailblazing ideas have influenced international politics to this day. His concept that world domination depends on the control of the global "pivot area" or "heartland"--the centre of the large land mass of Europe and Asia--has informed the political tactics and wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe through the decades. His theories have influenced politicians and political scientists for generations, most notably Zbigniew Brzezinski, adviser to a long line of U.S. presidents. In our times, the importance of Mackinder's heartland theory for the United States' fight to enforce global hegemony, Russia's struggle to stay independent and relevant on a world stage, and China's plans to establish a trade route between East and West, make Heartland essential reading for understanding our world."-- from Amazon.com
Britain and the British Seas, which included the first comprehensive geomorphology of the British Isles, is one of Halford Mackinder's major works and a classic in regional geography.
Mackinder's message, his warning - addressed to the peacemakers at Versailles - was memorably summarized thus: 'Who Rules East Europe commands the Heartland: Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island: Who rules the World-Island commands the World.' This book presents the study of imperial ambitions and geographical realities.