About this episode

The episode explores the significance of century-old colonial maps in Belgium that may unlock vast mineral wealth in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hidden in a quiet Belgian archive, century-old colonial maps of the Democratic Republic of Congo may hold the key to an estimated $24 trillion in untapped minerals. Now the United States, backed by Trump, together with the likes of Jeff Bezos, want them. The curators, however, are in no hurry to hand them over. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Written by: Madeleine Spence, deputy editor for News Review, The Sunday Times. Read by: Olivia Case. Host: Luke Jones.  Producer: Dave Creasey. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: The $24trn question: who owns these 100-year-old mining maps? Clips: DW, BBC. Photo: Getty Images, The Sunday Times. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe  here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Luke Jones

Topics covered

• colonial maps
• mineral resources
• US politics
• Congo
• archival research
• economic potential

Keywords

• trillion dollar maps
• Congo minerals
• colonial archives
• Trump
• Jeff Bezos
• mining rights
• historical maps

Sponsors

The Times

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Times, The Sunday Times

Places: Belgium, Democratic Republic of Congo

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