Timothy Carney, former American ambassador to Sudan, and Victoria Butler, a freelance writer and former information officer for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, have written lengthy chapters describing the peoples, religions, geography, industries, and history of the country. In this lengthy photo essay, Michael Freeman's accomplished photographs are beautiful to look at, even as they're also faithful in reporting on the varied features of the land, people, and history that are the subjects of the book's three chapters.