Syrian Civil War Control Map & Report: August 2016 (Subscription)

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Research by Djordje Djukic. Map by onestopmap.com, Evan Centanni, and Djordje Djukic

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Syria's war has seen several major territorial changes in the past month, with a Turkish military intervention bringing IS defeats even as the rival, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have captured key territory from both IS and the Assad government. Meanwhile, the government has scored some major victories of its own against rebel forces.
 
See all this and more on the latest update to PolGeoNow's concise, professional Syrian Civil War control map, which includes a timeline of changes since our previous Syria map report in late July, with sources cited.

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Exclusive report includes:

• Up-to-date map of current territorial control in Syria, color-coded for the Assad government, rebel groups, "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL) fighters, and Kurdish/SDF forces. Color blind accessible.
• Special symbols indicating towns dominated by rebels of the Nusra Front (now Jabhat Fateh al-Sham) and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
• Detailed indication of city-by-city control, including key towns and other locations important to current events.
• Locations of recent fighting and military operations, including Jarabulus, Manbij, Daraya, Hasakah, and more.
• Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since July 25, 2016, compiled by our Syria-Iraq expert, with links to sources.

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Map of Border Controls Inside Europe's Schengen Area: August 2016

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Last March, we explained Europe's Schengen free travel area in plain English, then published a map of which European countries had temporarily reintroduced border controls. We now present an updated and improved version of the border control map, reflecting several changes from the past five months.

Map by Evan Centanni, from blank map by Ssolbergj. License: CC BY-SA

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Article by Evan Centanni

Changes to Schengen Border Controls Since March

As anyone who's visited Europe in recent decades knows, much of the continent is linked together as part of the "Schengen Area", a collection of countries that don't make travelers show any ID to cross back and forth across their borders (though this system is overseen by the European Union, the Schengen Area and the EU are not the same thing). But the system does allow countries to temporarily reintroduce border controls under certain circumstances.

With last year's spike in numbers of refugees and other immigrants arriving in Europe, many Schengen countries have rushed to control the flow of people by using these special temporary border controls. When we published our previous map of temporary Schengen border controls back in March, there were seven countries policing their borders with fellow Schengen members. Today there are only six, and there have been major changes to which borders are controlled:

Parade of Nations: Which Countries Are (and Aren't) in the Olympics? (Rio 2016)

This is an older version of our Parade of Nations article. Click here to see the newest edition!

This is an updated version of an article first published in 2012. You can also read the London 2012 and Sochi 2014 versions.

Map of all countries in the Olympics and their regional associations. Two newest Olympic Nations labeled.
(By Evan Centanni, starting from public domain blank map and modeled after this Wikipedia map)

The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil officially open tonight, Friday, August 5th! They'll be the first Olympics ever to be held in South America, and also the first in any Portuguese-speaking country. If that wasn't enough, they're also the first Summer Olympics to be held entirely in the winter!

Of course, it wouldn't be an Olympic opening ceremony without the Parade of Nations. But how many countries are there in the games, and is everyone included? Read on for an exclusive updated guide to the roster of Olympic Nations...

Yemen Control Map & Report: August 2016 (Subscription)

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Timeline by Djordje Djukic. Map by Louis Martin-Vézian, Evan Centanni, and Djordje Djukic.

In the three months since our previous Yemen map update, Houthi and pro-Hadi forces have continued to trade blows in the south and east, as well as along the border with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Al Qaeda and the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL) have launched attacks in southern cities.

See all this and more on the newest update to PolGeoNow's Yemen territorial control map, which includes a timeline of changes and important events since our previous Yemen map report in February.

This map and report are premium professional content, available to paid subscribers of the PolGeoNow Conflict Mapping Service.

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Exclusive report includes:

• Up-to-date map of current territorial control in Yemen, color-coded for the pro-Hadi coalition, Houthi/Saleh forces, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL).
• Color scheme now consistent with Syria, Iraq, and Libya map series
• Detailed indication of town-by-town control, including provincial boundaries, all major cities, and many smaller ones
• Markers for recent areas of fighting, including Taiz, Mukalla, Bayhan, Harad, and more
• Timeline of changes to the situation since May 1, 2016, with links to sources

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This map and report are not available for automated purchase to non-subscribers. If you need access or republication rights for only this map report, contact service@polgeonow.com for options.

How Many Countries Are There in the World in 2016?

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This article, originally from 2011, has been revised and updated to August 2016. (Latest update: Gibraltar and Kosovo are now FIFA members.)

A world political map published by the US government (public domain)

One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is, "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who replies with a simple number is leaving out part of the story. It actually depends a lot on how you define a "country".

Here are six of the most common answers, each correct in its own way: