China: One Country, Many Facets

China, un país con muchas caras

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Chiny, jeden kraj, wiele twarzy

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Cina: un gigante dai mille volti

China is a country of contrast from the busy heartlands of the East to the vast empty expanses of the West. A focus on the world most populated nation.

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The Geopolitics Programme

Mapping the World

<p>China is a country of contrast from the busy heartlands of the East to the vast empty expanses of the West. A focus on the world most populated nation.</p>

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The history of Europe since the end of the Second World War cannot be properly understood without taking into account immigration. Within countries, between European countries as well as from outside Europe, immigration has always been a hot topic.

A History of Immigration in Europe

From the North Sea to the Black Sea, the Rhine and the Danube form a link across Europe. Mapping the World navigates the history of the two longest rivers of the European Union.

Rhine and Danube: Two Rivers, Two Europes

Iraq in 2022: Will the emerging nation succeed in resisting foreign influence and from Iran in particular? What does the future hold for the Kurdish autonomous region? And will the USA ever really leave?

Iraq in 2022: Will the emerging nation succeed in resisting influence from foreign powers, and from Iran in particular? 

Iraq - A Sovereign Country?

Compared to neighboring Mali, Senegal appears to be quiet and stable. France, a former colonial power, maintains its place as its main partner, but others are now vying for a spot at the table: China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Indonesia and the United States.

France, a former colonial power, is Senegal's main partner, but others are now vying for a spot at the table

Senegal and France: Allies?

The ruling junta renamed Burma Myanmar, claiming it was a way of erasing the country's British colonial past. But the deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi still defends the name Burma. This episode of Mapping the World looks at this ethically diverse country influenced by both India and China.

This episode of Mapping the World looks at this ethically diverse country influenced by both India and China

Myanmar: The Junta and the Democratic Dream

The two main cocoa-producing countries - Ivory Coast and Ghana - aren't reaping the rewards of a growing global taste for sweet treats. On the one hand there are multinational corporations that control the entire value chain, on the other, small cocoa producers trying to support their families.

The main cocoa-producing countries - Ivory Coast and Ghana - aren't reaping the rewards of growing global demand

Cacao: Who Profits from Chocolate?

A region of Europe with a shared experience of communism and USSR dominance, Eastern Europe today is characterised by nations with diverse cultural and political identities.

How many Eastern Europes?

How we represent our world in maps depends on our perspective. For many centuries Europeans have put their continent in the centre and on top of their maps, the Chinese likewise placed the Middle Kingdom in the centre of things. What do our maps tell us about our worldview?

For centuries Europeans have put their continent in the centre of their maps, the Chinese likewise placed the Middle Kingdom in the centre of things. What do our maps tell us about our worldview?

Cartography: How We Represent the World

Warfare has evolved with the professionalisation of armies, the refusal of public opinion to see their soldiers sacrifice their lives in distant lands, and the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, robots and other drones.

Warfare has evolved into high tech drone strikes and robo-armies, and it's a gamechanger for global geopolitics

21st Century Warfare

All world powers want a piece of Antartica, the only continent that belongs to everyone and no one. This unique territory at the end of the world is currently protected by international law, with only scientific research allowed. But for how long will it remain a pristine wilderness?

All world powers want a piece of Antartica, the only continent that belongs to everyone and no one.

Antarctica: Ice and Greed

Amongst the millions of species of insect on the planet, the bee plays a crucial role in human civilisation. A focus on how bees have spread around the world with globalisation and how they are now critically endangered.

Bees and Agriculture

A focus on the world’s largest country by landmass. Russia is a major world power that excels in certain spheres but glaring inequality, major structural problems and Western sanctions mean it may struggle to keep up with other world powers.

Russia: Land of Contrasts

The world's tech giants - the likes of Facebook, Apple or Google - now have a political role to play. They can curb misinformation or spread it, along with all of the massive social issues that entails. An in-depth analysis of social media uses and regulations in China, the United States, and Europe.

An in-depth analysis of social media uses and regulations in China, the United States, Europe and Russia.

The Geopolitics of Social Media

Germany in the 21st century is unthinkable without Angela Merkel, leading the country for the last 16 years. Ms Merkel grew up in the GDR before beginning her political career in the united Germany. A look at the Germany she leads as she approaches the end of her political career.

A look at the Germany of Angela Merket as she approaches the end of her political career after 16 years as chancellor.

Germany: Angela Merkeland?

The fall of the USSR destabalised the Caucasus, which is being eyed up by three autocratic regimes: Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Each country jealously guards its interests in this oil and gas-rich region. 

The fall of the USSR destabalised the Caucasus, which is being eyed up by three autocratic regimes: Russia, Turkey, and Iran

The Caucasus: At the Crossroads of Europe and Asia

20 years ago, on September 11, 2001, 3,000 people died when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four planes. Mapping the World looks back on the 20-year struggle against Islamic terrorism, from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda to the so-called Islamic State, Boko Haram, and other jihadist organisations.

Mapping the World looks back on the 20-year struggle against Islamic terrorism

20 Years of War against Terrorism

The historian Herodotus in the fifth century BC said that Egypt was "a gift from the Nile", and from the pharaohs to Nasser, the Nile has played a vital role in Egypt's fortunes. But Ethiopia now intends to remind leaders in Cairo that the Nile is not just an Egyptian river.

Ethiopia wants to remind Egypt that the Nile is not just Egyptian

Geopolitics of the Nile

In 2016, Colombia the country signed a historic peace treaty with the FARC rebels. This was intended to mend the deep rift in Colombian society, which has long been divided into two extreme camps: on the one hand the Marxist revolutionary guerrilla, on the other the ultra-conservative right and paramilitary militias. But the violence that has shaped the recent history of the country is far from over.

Colombia is still struggling to control violence from extreme groups and drug cartels

Colombia: A Nation in Revolt

There are an estimated 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth and in the 20th century, 437 of them erupted in places like the United States, Russia, Indonesia and Japan. Both a blessing and a curse, they have shaped our world on land and at the sea.

A World of Volcanoes

Climate change is often viewed as a far-off phenomenon but the effects are already being felt around the world by millions of people. A global overview of the regions on the frontline of the climate catastrophe.

 A global overview of the regions on the frontline of the climate catastrophe.

Climate Change Is Happening Now

Focus on the second largest country in the world. Canada can appear so similar and yet so different politically and cultural from its southern neighbour, the USA.

Canada: The Other America?

Tourism represents 10% of global GDP and for some nations is of vital importance. A focus on our changing travel habits from the late nineteenth century up to the present day and beyond.

Tourism Post Covid

Oceania, a continent of scattered islands across a vast expanse of ocean, is at the forefront of climate change and at the heart of the confrontation between China and the United States.

Oceania: China Eyes Up the Pacific

The 5G revolution will truly bring the internet of things within everyone’s reach and make smart cities a global reality. But with this major technological advance led by Chinese company Huawei, it is leading to renewed tensions between the USA and China.

5G: The New Cold War?

With a beautiful coastline stretching more than 2,000 kilometres along the Indian Ocean and a wealth of natural resources, Mozambique has the makings of an Eldorado. But the former Portuguese colony is facing a jihadist insurgency in the north which is jeopardising its chances of development and stability

Mozambique: A Cursed Eldorado

Originating from Ethiopia in the 700s, coffee has spread across the globe with a clear division between where coffee is produced and where it is consumed.

Coffee: A Global Beverage

The Alps have always been a formidable barrier but one which mankind has always crossed. Today eight states share the mountain range which has seen the birth of winter sports, been a crucible for environmental protection as well as the site of colossal engineering projects.

The Alps: A European Story

Morocco is a beacon of stability in an unstable region. However, the kingdom still faces problems of serious social inequality, a lack of democratic freedoms, and the ongoing unresolved status of Western Sahara.

What Future for the Kingdom of Morocco?

Vietnam had a bloody twentieth century as long wars with the French and subsequently the Americans cost the country dearly. Recently things have been on the up as the south-east Asian country reinvents itself as a model economy and tourist destination.

Vietnam: The New Asian Tiger

Textiles have been central to trade and industry since time immemorial, notably with the famous Silk road trading route from China to Europe. In our current era of globalisation textiles continue to be big business but this success comes at a social and environmental cost.

Textiles: A Global Industry

An overview of the history of Portugal. Great trading nation and colonial power of yore, Portugal became one of the West’s poorest nations in the 20th century before undergoing a renaissance in recent years.

Portugal: Small Country, Big History

An overview of women’s rights around the world from the right to vote, access to education and abortion rights.

A Women's World

The largest democracy in the world is a patchwork of languages, ethnicities and religions bound together in a secular state.  But Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, in power since 2014, seems to imperil this delicate balance.

Modi's India

The country on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula was once known as Happy Arabia, a wealthy, fertile land which was the home of the Queen of Sheba in ancient times. Today Yemen is in blighted by a long-running civil war due to a complex past and present.

Today Yemen is in blighted by a long-running civil war due to a complex past and present.

Yemen: A Complex History

Mapping the World - The Geopolitics Programme

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Behind his polite exterior lies a formidable leader with a ruthless character, ready to do anything to make China the world's leading power by the People’s Republic’s centenary in 2049. This well-documented portrait of the Chinese president gives an unprecedented insight into his politics and shows how Xi Jinping's personal journey has shaped his choices as he steers China towards world domination.

A portrait of the Chinese president giving an unprecedented insight into his politics and showing how Xi Jinping's personal journey has shaped his choices as he steers China towards world domination.

The New World of Xi Jinping

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Faced with more frequent and violent natural disasters caused by climate change, animals and plants are adapting. Some species, such as sharks, which are able to sense the change in atmospheric pressure of a coming hurricane, move away from danger. Others learn to live with it, such as curlews, which use the hot ash from erupting volcanoes in Papua New Guinea to incubate their eggs. A surprising and inspiring documentary about nature's survivors.

How Animals and Plants Survive

Faced with more frequent and violent natural disasters caused by climate change, animals and plants are adapting. A surprising and inspiring documentary about nature's survivors.

Natural Disasters

Pippi Longstocking, the superhumanly strong redhead with pigtails and freckles, conquers the world of classical ballet. The Swedish dancer and choreographer Pär Isberg stages Astrid Lindgren’s favourite character from the Villa Villekulla for the Helsinki opera house. The ballet music is the work of Georg Riedel and Stefan Nilsson.

From the Helsinki Opera

The Swedish dancer and choreographer Pär Isberg stages Astrid Lindgren’s favourite character for the Helsinki opera house.

Pippi Longstocking

A special gala concert to celebrate five years of Hamburg’s fantastic new concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie, opened on January 11 2017. The NDR Elbphilharmonie orchestra performs works by Adams, Adès and Salonen with conductor Alan Gilbert and pianist Kiril Gerstein.

With Kirill Gerstein, Alan Gilbert and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra

A special gala concert to celebrate five years of Hamburg’s fantastic new concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie.

5 Years of the Elbphilharmonie

Lowriding is a passion for cars where owners customise their vintage vehicles to look cool gliding along the Los Angeles boulevards. For long a male-only pursuit, more and more women are getting into it lowriding.

Geo Reportage

Lowriders of Los Angeles

A journey through Middle-earth, or rather New Zealand. Peter Jackson used the natural beauty of his native land to great effect in his film adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s classic trilogy. A tour through locations for the Shire, the Misty Mountains and Mordor… 

Cult Film Locations

A journey through New Zealand used to great effect in the film adaptation of Tolkien’s classic.

Looking for the Lord of the Rings

Venezuelans have been living through a deep economic crisis for several years with food shortages coupled with hyperinflation. Press freedom is also in peril as the government cracks down on independent media. But some young journalists are going offline, giving news reports live from city buses.

ARTE Reportage

Desperate to provide independent news, some young journalists are giving news bulletins offline on board city buses.

Venezuela: Desperate for News

Vadum Minsyuk and Yuri Andreyev fled the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014. In search of a new beginning, they decided to start a new life in the Chernobyl region, close to the exclusion zone from the 1986 nuclear disaster. The dangers of radiation are better than the rockets of war.

Vadum Minsyuk and Yuri Andreyev fled the war in eastern Ukraine to start a new life in the Chernobyl region,  The dangers of radiation are better than the rockets of war for them.

Re: New Beginning in Chernobyl

To celebrate 50 years of French radio station FIP, Sting gives a special performance in the monumental surroundings of the Pantheon in Paris.

50 Years of FIP Radio

Sting at the Pantheon in Paris

Mohamed Ali was aware of the power of image. A genius boxer and king of communication, he surrounded himself with the best photographers of his time and attracted the interest of the press, shaping his own iconography. So how did Muhammad Ali win the fight to control his image?

Gymnastics

Mohamed Ali wasn't just a genius boxer, but a king of communication

Mohamed Ali: The Legend of a Fighter

Reinhold Messner is a mountaineering legend. From an early age he climbed the breathtaking Dolomites in his native South-Tyrol before conquering the highest peaks in the world. He shares his passion for mountaineering and his life philosophy.

Man of the Peaks

Reinhold Messner

It's big business: in summer, hundreds of kilos of mushrooms are illegally picked every day in Romanian forests. They are then transported to Italy by intermediaries where they are sold at astronomical prices. Romanian authorities do nothing as the forests are looted unsustainably for their grey gold.

It's big business: in summer, hundreds of kilos of mushrooms are illegally picked every day in Romanian forests

Re: Truffle Traffick in Romania

Present on the coast but also inland, dunes are shaped by the wind and are in perpetual movement. These extraordinary landscapes made of infinite grains of sand are ephemeral and inhospitable. Yet the environment they offer is astonishingly diverse.

Present on the coast but also inland, dunes are in perpetual movement, creating extraordinary ephemeral landscapes.

Dunes: Europe's Moving Landscapes

The Indian state of Sikkim has banned pesticides completely, allowing only organic farming. The results: healthy food and healthy soils.

India: Sikkim - A Green New World

TAPE: George Michael

Stuttgart Ballet performs ‘Onegin’, John Cranko’s acclaimed 1965 choreography of Alexander Pushkin’s novel. Classical ballet at its best in a version created for the cinema.

A Ballet by John Cranko

Stuttgart Ballet performs ‘Onegin’, John Cranko’s acclaimed 1965 choreography of Alexander Pushkin’s novel.

Onegin

This documentary tells the story of German Expressionism in the context of colonial exploitation for the first time. When German artists Emil Nolde and Max Pechstein travelled to what was then the colony of German New Guinea and the Palau Islands in 1910, they wanted to revolutionise painting through inspiration from indigenous art and peoples. But their "South Sea paradise" had already been destroyed by the European colonial masters and their art would reveal the ideals and prejudice of early twentieth century Europe.

Expressionism and Colonialism

This documentary tells the story of German Expressionist art for the first time in the context of colonial exploitation. 

The White Gaze

On the opening weekend of the Salzburg festival Latvian star conductor Andris Nelsons conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in Gustav Mahler’s monumental second symphony. Nicknamed ‘the resurrection’ the works is one of the composers most enduringly popular.

Vienna Philharmonic - Salzburg Festival 2018

Latvian star conductor Andris Nelsons conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in Gustav Mahler’s monumental second symphony, ‘the resurrection’.

Mapping the World

Mapping the World - The Geopolitics Programme

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Rhine and Danube: Two Rivers, Two Europes

Iraq - A Sovereign Country?

Senegal and France: Allies?

Myanmar: The Junta and the Democratic Dream

Cacao: Who Profits from Chocolate?

How many Eastern Europes?

Cartography: How We Represent the World

China: One Country, Many FacetsMapping the World

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