Off the map : lost spaces, invisible cities, forgotten islands, feral places, and what they tell us about the world / Alastair Bonnett.

Includes index.

1. Lost Spaces.--2. Hidden Geographies.--3. No Man's Lands.--4. Dead Cities.--5. Spaces of Exception.--6. Enclaves and Breakaway Nations.--7. Floating Islands.--8. Ephemeral Places.

In a world of Google Earth, in which it is easy to believe that every discovery has been made and every adventure already had, Off the Map is a stunning testament to how mysterious our planet still is. From forgotten enclaves to floating islands, from hidden villages to New York gutter spaces, Off the Map charts the hidden corners of our planet. And while these are not necessarily places you would choose to visit on holiday - Hobyo, the pirate capital of Somalia, or Zheleznogorsk, a secret military town in Russia - they each carry a story about the strangeness of place and our need for a geography that understands our hunger for the fantastic and the unexpected. But it also shows us that topophilia, the love of place, is a fundamental part of what it is to be human.