0:54Why Planes Don’t Fly Straight
A flight path can look strange on a flat map. What changes when you look at the same journey on a globe?
WORLD & POWER1:06 · 4 October 2026
Why America Keeps Trying to Buy Greenland
Player loads when you press play. No sound starts before you choose.
Watch on YouTubeTHE QUESTION
An island that seems remote on a flat map looks very different from the North Pole. What makes Greenland so strategically interesting?
A little more context.
Change the perspective of a map and familiar places can take on new significance. The episode uses that shift to explore why Greenland attracts so much attention.
Its discussion of politics and security reflects the episode’s publication date. The island’s geography is the starting point for the explanation.
Captions & transcript
A separate transcript is not yet available for this episode. Use the player’s caption controls when captions are provided, or open the original episode on YouTube.
KEEP EXPLORING
One question leads to another.
0:54
1:39Why Does the US Keep Sending Aircraft Carriers?
Why send a floating airbase when there are already bases on land? Look beyond the size of the ship to the flexibility it gives a country.