"The Geographical Pivot of History" is an article submitted by Halford John Mackinder in 1904 to the Royal Geographical Society that advances his heartland theory. In this article, Mackinder extended the scope of geopolitical analysis to encompass the entire globe. The World-Island and the Heartland According to Mackinder, the Earth's land surface was divisible into: The World-Island, comprising the interlinked continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa (Afro-Eurasia). This was the largest, most populous, and richest of all possible land combinations. The offshore islands, including the British Isles and the islands of Japan. The outlying islands, including the continents of North America, South America, and Oceania. The Heartland lay at the centre of the world island, stretching from the Volga to the Yangtze and from the Himalayas to the Arctic. Mackinder's Heartland was the area then ruled by the Russian Empire and after that by the Soviet Union, minus the Kamchatka Peninsula region, which is located in the easternmost part of Russia, near the Aleutian Islands and Kurile islands. Strategic importance of Eastern Europe Later, in 1919, Mackinder summarised his theory thus: Any power which controlled the World-Island would control well over 50% of the world's resources. The Heartland's size and central position made it the key to controlling the World-Island. The vital question was how to secure control for the Heartland. This question may seem pointless, since in 1904 the Russian Empire had ruled most of the area from the Volga to Eastern Siberia for centuries. But throughout the nineteenth century: The West European powers had combined, usually successfully, in the Great Game to prevent Russian expansion. The Russian Empire was huge but socially, politically and technologically backward – i.e. inferior in "virility, equipment and organization". Mackinder held that effective political domination of the Heartland by a single power had been unattainable in the past because: The Heartland was protected from sea power by ice to the north and mountains and deserts to the south. Previous land invasions from east to west and vice versa were unsuccessful because lack of efficient transportation made it impossible to assure a continual stream of men and supplies. He outlined the following ways in which the Heartland might become a springboard for global domination in the twentieth century (Sempa, 2000): Successful invasion of Russia by a Western European nation (most probably Germany). Mackinder believed that the introduction of the railroad had removed the Heartland's