How much of the world isn’t owned by anyone?
Sometimes world events of massive practical significance lead our minds towards some lovely impractical thoughts. So it was for loyal listener, Nigel.
Pondering the conflict in Iran, and the maritime ownership of the Straits of Hormuz that has become its focus, his mind wandered to an altogether bigger and - honestly - far less important question.
“How much of the world surface actually doesn't belong to anyone?” he wondered.
To try and answer Nigel’s question, we enlisted the help of Mark Cooper-Jones, one half of YouTube duo Map Men.
If you’ve seen a number in the news that you think we should take a look at, or have a interesting statistical question like Nigel, get in touch: [email protected]
Presenter: Lizzy McNeillProducer: Josh McMinnSeries producer: Tom CollsProduction co-ordinator: Brenda BrownSound mix: James BeardEditor: Richard Vadon
More or Less
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.
- No. of episodes: 1,136
- Latest episode: 2026-08-22
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