As the UN adopts an equal world map, meet the three geographers who disputed how the Earth was charted 2000 years ago

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supplementary video · The National News on YouTube ↗

As the UN adopts an equal world map, meet the three geographers who disputed how the Earth was charted 2000 years ago

the gist

The standard world map has rested for centuries on Gerardus Mercator's 1569 projection, which was designed for navigation but inflates regions near the poles, so Africa, about 14 times larger than Greenland, looks about the same size. On 4 September 2026 the UN adopted a motion tabled by Togo and backed by African nations to endorse the Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018 by Bojan Šavrič, Tom Patterson and Bernhard Jenny, which shows continents at their true relative areas. Supporters argue distorted maps make Africa look peripheral. The dispute is old: Herodotus mocked earlier maps for making Asia equal to Europe, and Strabo argued Libya was well short of a third of the inhabited world and inferior in power.

how it works

A sphere cannot be flattened without distortion. Mercator keeps angles true, which helps sailors hold a compass course but stretches areas away from the equator. Equal-area projections like Equal Earth keep sizes proportional and accept some distortion of shapes.

so what

Maps shape how big and important places feel. Choosing a projection is a trade-off between preserving shape, direction or area, and area accuracy now has institutional backing.

fun fact

Strabo's Geography, written under Roman rule, is among the few surviving complete works of ancient geography.

Trump and Netanyahu reportedly clash over whether to resume military action against Iran

the gist

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

so what

The United States and Israel have been closely aligned on Iran's nuclear programme and regional threats, so open disagreement between their leaders over military strategy is unusual and closely watched. Whether to resume strikes is a decision with consequences for shipping, oil markets and the wider Middle East.

fun fact

Benjamin Netanyahu has served as Prime Minister of Israel for more years in total than any other person.

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Data: GDELT Project

Illustrative photo · Israel Belkind and Fanny Abramovitch (original) “The Provis…, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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supplementary video · Epimetheus on YouTube ↗

world cultures & travelWikivoyageclassic9th–15th century · Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor was the largest pre-industrial city on Earth, covering about 3,000 square kilometres

the gist

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.

how it works

The Khmer kings built enormous rectangular reservoirs that caught monsoon rain during the wet season. Earthen dykes and canals moved that water into rice paddies, so farmers could grow crops across much of the year. The surplus food supported craftsmen, builders and the workforce that raised the temples.

so what

Angkor shows how a society without industrial machinery could build a city on a scale that rivals modern metropolises, using engineering and water management instead. Some historians link its decline to drought, flooding and shifts in its water systems, which makes it a long-running case study in how cities depend on managing water. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important archaeological landscapes in Southeast Asia.

fun fact

The outline of Angkor Wat appears on the national flag of Cambodia.