Mapping the World

Mapping the World (Le Dessous des cartes) is a French programme that explains geopolitical contexts using maps as visual support. It was created in 1990 by political scientist Jean-Christophe Victor, who hosted it up until his death in 2016. The programme returned in September 2017 with Émilie Aubry as host and airs weekly on the Franco-German channel Arte.

Programming and format
The show was first aired from 1990 to 1992, on La Sept until it stopped broadcasting, and has been on air since 1992 on the Franco-German channel Arte. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 20h00 (Paris local time, UTC+1) and rebroadcast several times a week. The format of the show has changed little since the first episode. However, the episode length expanded from 7 to 11 minutes. The transition from 11 to 26 minutes referred to by Jean-Christophe Victor in 2002 was abandoned.

Structure of the show
In general, the show runs as follows:
 * Generic top
 * Introduction – the presenter introduces the topic of the show on a neutral background
 * Development – maps, animations and sometimes pictures while the presenter talks.
 * Conclusion – the presenter concludes the program on a neutral point of view
 * Bibliography of books which served as sources and / or may give the viewer further insight into the topic
 * End Credits

Maps and visualization methods
Topographic maps are based on the Ordnance Survey Oxford Cartographers. The most commonly used map projection is that of Eckert (the Pseudo-cylindrical projection). The show also uses satellite imagery from Google Earth and the first use was in the episode named: "Nigeria, rich state poor country."

Program production cycle
The Laboratoire d'études politiques et d'analyses cartographiques (LEPAC) produces about forty episodes a year for the channel Arte. The subjects for most episodes are decided a year in advance to allow time for production. This delay in the selection of themes allows a certain hindsight regarding the chosen topic. However, on occasion, the topic of an episode is more closely related to current events. For example, the episode "Tsunami, a natural phenomenon" aired just three months after the events in South-East Asia.

Subjects of the show
Of the 300 programs (from March 2001 to May 2008), 210 (70%) have a geographical approach and 84 (28%) have a thematic approach. 6 issues remain unclassifiable: introspective (ex: "La Methode le Dessous des Cartes") or dreamers (ex: "A journey with Corto Maltese, Turkey to Samarkand"). For information and the geographical most commonly accepted: Anecdote: The issue of 29 March 2000, for the week of April 1, is a parody of the show itself. The producing team of the show made what could be the episode of 1 April 3000 by offering a retrospective view of the past thousand years.
 * Africa (29)
 * Latin America (21)
 * Anglo-Saxon America (12)
 * Europe (53)
 * Polar worlds (11)
 * Central Asia (10)
 * East Asia (35)
 * Middle East (36)
 * Oceania (1)

Methods and objectives
In a special 10th birthday episode named "La méthode du Dessous des Cartes", the aims of the show were outlined: The main, oft repeated aim of the show is "to understand rather than to inform."
 * Give way to Geography
 * Give meaning through History
 * Cross disciplines
 * Everything is connected
 * Avoid Ethnocentrism
 * Giving a try at Futures studies
 * Take a stand

Awards

 * Prix Encyclopædia Universalis 1995
 * Grand Prix Video 1996 of the Académie Charles Cros
 * La Clio de l'image 1997

Books

 * Jean-Christophe Victor, Frank Tétart and Virginie Raisson, Le Dessous des cartes : Atlas géopolitique, map of Frederick Lernoud, ed. Arte and Tallandier, 2005, (ISBN 2847342346).
 * Jean-Christophe Victor, Frank Tétart and Virginie Raisson, Le Dessous des cartes 2 : Tome 2, Atlas d'un monde qui change, map of Lernoud Frederick, ed. Arte and Tallandier, 2007, (ISBN 2847344667).
 * Jean-Christophe Victor, Frank Tétart and Virginie Raisson, Le Dessous des Cartes : Coffret en 2 volumes : Atlas géopolitique ; Atlas d'un monde qui change, map of Lernoud Frederick, ed. Arte and Tallandier, 2008 (ISBN 284734540X).

DVD
Each semester, Arte Video and LEPAC publish a DVD. The DVD includes 12 to 20 episodes of the show regarding a theme. DVDs released so far:
 * Latin America, the other America;
 * African continent;
 * The unity of China;
 * USA, an imperialistic geography;
 * Geopolitics and Religion;
 * Europe, a model geopolitics?;
 * Europe as an alternative?;
 * Polar worlds;
 * Middle East geopolitical pivot;
 * A planet in relief.

Textbooks

 * Le dessous des cartes Terminale : L’espace mondial
 * Le dessous des cartes Première : L’Europe et la France
 * Le dessous des cartes Seconde : Les Hommes occupent et aménagent la Terre
 * Le dessous des cartes Troisième : Le Monde d’aujourd’hui