The Shape of the World

HD 10.0 N/A min.

The epic tale of mapping the globe, as seen on PBS. Produced in consultation with the British Library and Royal Geographical Society-the world's largest scholarly organization dedicated to the science of geography. "Explores the history of mapmaking with elegance and intelligence" - The New York Times. How do we see the world? Some ancients believed it rode on the back of a turtle. The Greeks viewed it as a sphere and measured it with astonishing accuracy. Today, scientists monitor it from space, detecting complex climate patterns that threaten our survival. Narrated by Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek: The Next Generation), this fascinating six-part series traces the history of mapmaking, from crude clay tablets to sophisticated electronic screens. Internationally respected historians, NASA scientists, and other experts explain how humans rely on imagination, observation, and mathematics to create pictures that make sense of our world. Throughout history, maps have served as symbols of wealth and power, tools of conquest and subjugation, and instruments for saving lives. They once held information worth killing for, and now they offer clues that might avert global destruction.