Referendum 2017: Iraqi Kurdistan Map

Two of the world's autonomous regions are about to vote in controversial independence referendums. Iraqi Kurdistan decides on independence from Iraq this Monday, and on October 1 Catalonia plans to vote on leaving Spain. PolGeoNow will be covering these events with a series of articles, but in the meantime we couldn't wait to share our new Iraqi Kurdistan map with you!

Graphic by Evan Centanni and Djordje Djukic, incorporating base map by Koen Adams of onestopmap.com. All rights reserved.

Iraqi Kurdistan Independence Referendum

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (Iraqi Kurdistan for short) is just part of the traditional homeland of the Kurds, the Middle East's fourth-largest ethnic group after Arabs, Persians, and Turks.

Many Kurds also live in Turkey, Syria, and Iran. But Iraqi Kurdistan is where they have the most legal rights, governing themselves in what's internationally recognized as an autonomous region within Iraq.

But all's not well in Kurdistan-Iraq relations. Iraqi Kurds suffered through horrific violence and persecution in the 1980s and 90s, and now the region's top politician has staked his reputation on separating Kurdistan from Iraq permanently.

Somalia Control Map & Timeline - August 2017

This is the first in our new series of Somalia control maps, which includes regular updates for members of our conflict map subscription service. 

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Somalia articles on PolGeoNow.

Base map by Koen Adams of onestopmap.com, with territorial control by Djordje Djukic and Evan Centanni. (This graphic has been slightly revised based on newer information. You can see the original version here.)
Contact us for permission to use this map.

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Timeline by Djordje Djukic, with additional reporting by Evan Centanni

Mapping Somalia: Who Controls What?

Of all the world's countries, Somalia is probably the most complex in terms of actual territorial control, and also one of the most constantly-changing. Despite that, good control maps for Somalia are hard to find, with major news outlets using simple, hastily-drawn maps (if any), while crowdsourced mapping projects on sites like Wikipedia suffer from a lack of contributors, infrequent updates, and unclear methods. That's why Political Geography Now set out to create the best-designed, most thoroughly-researched Somalia control map online.

Map: Which Schengen Borders are Closed to Passport-Free Travel in August 2017?

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Schengen Area articles.

Last year, we explained Europe's Schengen free travel area in plain English, then published maps of which European countries had temporarily reintroduced border controls as of March 2016, August 2016, and February 2017. Here's an update and summary for August of 2017.

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

Article by Evan Centanni

Current Border Controls Between Schengen Countries

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 aren't the same thing). But the system does allow countries to temporarily reintroduce border controls under certain circumstances.

Syrian Civil War Map & Timeline: Kurds Enter "Islamic State" Capital - June 2017

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Syria updates.

Base map by Koen Adams of onestopmap.com, with territorial control by Evan Centanni and Djordje Djukic.
All rights reserved.

(Subscribers click here to view this article in the member area.)

Timeline by Djordje Djukic

Syria: Where Things Stand Now

In the four weeks since our previous Syrian Civil War map report, the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have advanced all the way into Raqqah, capital city of the so-called "Islamic State" (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL). Meanwhile, Syrian government forces have also been pushing hard against IS, nearing Raqqah themselves, while making even more major advances in the southern desert. Clashes between rebels and government forces have also continued across Syria's south, even as the US enforces a rebel safe zone around its base in Tanf.

"Islamic State" in the Philippines? Detailed Control Map & Timeline of the Marawi Conflict

Map by Evan Centanni. All rights reserved.

Schengen Border Controls in February 2017: Map of Free Travel Restrictions

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Schengen Area articles. 

Last year, we explained Europe's Schengen free travel area in plain English, then published maps of which European countries had temporarily reintroduced border controls as of March 2016 and August 2016. We now present an updated map and summary of the situation.

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

(Subscribers click here to view this article in the members area.)

Article by Evan Centanni

Changes to Schengen Border Controls Since 2016

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.

Yemen Control Map & Report: December 2016

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Yemen updates.

This is part of a series of Yemen maps and infographics created in collaboration between PolGeoNow and CIGeography.

Click to enlarge. Map by Louis Martin-Vézian, Evan Centanni, and Djordje Djukic. All rights reserved.

(Subscribers click here to view this article in the members area.)

Timeline by Djordje Djukic

Situation Summary
In the past three months since our previous Yemen control map report, fighting has continued between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the Saudi-backed government of President Hadi, with small changes to territorial control on the eastern and northern fringes of Houthi territory, including along Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has remained entrenched in parts of the east, while allegedly capturing an area near its one-time stronghold of Rada in the country's west.

Syrian Civil War Control Map & Report: November 2016

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Syria updates.

Base map by Koen Adams of onestopmap.com, with territorial control by Evan Centanni and Djordje Djukic.
All rights reserved.

(Subscribers click here to view this article in the member area.)

Timeline by Djordje Djukic, with additional reporting by Evan Centanni

Situation Summary
In the past month since our previous Syrian Civil War map update, fighting has focused largely on the ongoing battle for the city of Aleppo, where rebels control a large enclave in the east, as well as a three-way fight for control of Al-Bab, the largest town in the countryside east of Aleppo (at least, according to pre-war census figures). Held for nearly three years by the so-called "Islamic State" (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL), Al-Bab is now the target of both the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition led by Kurdish militias. The SDF has also made progress toward the IS capital of Raqqah in the east, while the Syrian Army of President Bashar al-Assad is making slow progress against rebels in the west of the country.

Libya's Political Realignment: May 2016 Control Map & Timeline

This is the first of a pair of Libya map reports, with the second spotlighting the retreat of "Islamic State" forces from May to September. The second report, with a more up-to-date map, is available to members of our conflict map subscription service. 

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Libya updates.

Base map by Koen Adams of onestopmap.com, with territorial control by Evan Centanni. All rights reserved.

(Subscribers click here to view this article in the member area)

Timeline by Djordje Djukic, with additional reporting by Evan Centanni

Drastic Political Shift
Starting soon after our last Libya control map report in March, the structure of Libya's divided control and rival governments underwent a massive realignment, with international recognition essentially switching from one side of the country to the other, and some key fighting forces switching sides as well.

Iraq Control Map & Report: September 2016

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Iraq updates.

Basemap by Koen Adams of onestopmap.com, with territorial control by Evan Centanni and Djordje Djukic. All rights reserved.

(Subscribers click here to view this article in the member area.)

Research and timeline by Djordje Djukic

Summary of Recent Events
After recapturing Ramadi from the so-called "Islamic State" (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL), the Iraqi government and allies have set their sights on Mosul, the largest IS-controlled city, and until a few years ago the second largest city in Iraq (some sources say half or more of its population fled after the IS takeover in 2014). Since our last Iraq control map report at the end of June, the main change to territorial control has been the government capture of Qaiyarah, a town south of Mosul that's still more or less surrounded by IS and Kurdish controlled ground.

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

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Schengen Area articles.

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

(Subscribers click here to view this article in the members area.)

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:

Ukraine War Control Map & Report: June 2016

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Ukraine updates.

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Map by Evan Centanni (all rights reserved)

Timeline by Djordje Djukic, with additional reporting by Evan Centanni

Summary of Developments
PolGeoNow's previous Ukraine control map report was published in March of last year, just a month after a ceasefire was implemented under the Minsk II agreement, a hard-won deal between the Kiev government and representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (established by rebels with extensive support from the other side of the Russian border). Since then, the ceasefire has broadly held, which explains why the war in eastern Ukraine has largely dropped out of world newspaper front pages. However, fighting has continued off and on at a reduced level, and the ceasefire agreement is still on shaky ground. This map and timeline report describe what has happened over the past year, including some small changes to territorial control.

Syrian Civil War Control Map: April 2016

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Syria updates.

Base map by Koen Adams of onestopmap.com, with territorial control by Evan Centanni and Djordje Djukic. All rights reserved.

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Timeline by Djordje Djukic

Recapture of Palmyra
Since our previous Syria control map report in early March, the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad has recaptured the historic city of Palmyra (known in modern Arabic as Tadmur) from the so-called "Islamic State" (IS, formerly known as ISIS/ISIL). The military has also pushed back against IS in Qaryatain, one of the group's westernmost outposts, even as IS is showing an increasingly prominent presence in the southwestern corner of Syria near the Golan Heights. Meanwhile, fighting between government and anti-Assad rebel forces has continued, though at a relatively low level, since the implementation of the UN-brokered ceasefire.

Map of Temporary Border Controls in the Schengen Area, March 2016

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Schengen Area articles.

In the companion to this article, we explain in plain English what the Schengen Area is, and which countries are part of it. Here, we present a map of the area's current crisis, showing where border checks have been reintroduced. Details and explanation in the article below.

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

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Article by Evan Centanni

Borders Re-emerging Inside the Schengen Area

Over the past months, concern has been rising that Europe's border-free travel zone, known as the Schengen Area, is falling apart. As unprecedented numbers of refugees and other migrants enter the Schengen Area, individual member countries have begun to re-start border checks in the places where they abolished them decades ago. Read on to learn the why, how, and where of the Schengen Area's new border controls!

Map of the Schengen Area in March 2016

This is an older version of PolGeoNow's Schengen Area map, preserved for historical reference. To see the latest version, visit our updated Schengen Area explainer article.

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

Map of Boko Haram/"Islamic State" Control in Nigeria: October 2015

(To see other maps in this series, view all Boko Haram updates on PolGeoNow.)

Map by Evan Centanni. All rights reserved.

(Subscribers click here to view this article in the member area) 

By Evan Centanni

The "Islamic State" in Nigeria
Northeastern Nigeria's Boko Haram rebels, despite being pushed out of most of the territory they held last year, are still a major force in the region.

After becoming an official affiliate of Iraq and Syria's so-called "Islamic State" (IS, a.k.a ISIS/ISIL) last March, they have now taken to calling themselves the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP).

War in Libya: Map of Control in August 2015

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Libya updates.

This is the first of a series of professional Libya control maps. Secure your access to future updates: sign up now for our conflict map subscription service!

Base map by Koen Adams of onestopmap.com, with territorial control by Evan Centanni. All rights reserved.

Subscribers click here to view this article in the ad-free members area. Not a member yet? Subscribe now! 

Background summary by Djordje Djukic; timeline by Evan Centanni and T.H.

Included in this free article:

• Concise summary of events in Libya since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011
• Detailed timeline of conflict, changes to territorial control, and political events since 2011, with each mentioned location illustrated on the map above

Yemen's Civil War: Map of Control in June 2015

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Yemen updates.

This is part of a series of Yemen maps and infographics created in collaboration between PolGeoNow and CIGeography. Part 1 was the Map & Infographic of Foreign Military Deployments in Yemen, and Part 2 was War in Yemen: Map of Territorial Control (April 2015).

Map by Louis Martin-Vézian and Evan Centanni (click to enlarge). All rights reserved.

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Timeline by Djordje Djukic, with additional reporting by Evan Centanni

Houthi Control Spreading Despite Saudi Airstrikes
Since our previous Yemen control map update in early April, Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners have continued their air and sea campaign in support of the ousted Yemeni government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, supported by parts of the Yemeni military and allied local and southern forces. But two months into the intervention, their opponents, the northern Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have continued to expand eastward. Meanwhile, Al Qaeda fighters have consolidated their control in parts of eastern Yemen, and the port city of Aden is still divided by frequent battles.

War in Iraq: Map of Islamic State Control in May 2015

There are newer versions of this map available. To see them, view all Iraq updates.

This is a free sample of our Iraq territorial control map. To access more Iraq control map updates like this one, sign up now for our conflict map subscription service!

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

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Timeline by Djordje Djukic, with additional reporting by Evan Centanni

A City for a City
Since PolGeoNow published our February map of control in Iraq, two major cities have changed hands, in opposite directions. Tikrit, known as the home region of former leader Saddam Hussein, was the Islamic State's farthest-forward prize in its spectacular takeover of northern Iraq last June. A priority for Iraq's struggling Baghdad government, Tikrit was finally taken back this March and April in a major push by Shiite militias, led by Iran and ultimately supported by U.S.-Arab coalition airstrikes.

War in Yemen: Map of Territorial Control (April 2015)

Note: There are newer versions of this map available.

This is the second in a two-part report on the ongoing crisis in Yemen, a collaboration between PolGeoNow and CIGeography. Part 1 was the Map & Infographic of Foreign Military Deployments in Yemen.

The below article summarizes the political situation and presents a detailed chronicle of  events over the past several months. The map has been updated since Wednesday's infographic.

Map by Louis Martin-Vézian and Evan Centanni (click to enlarge). All rights reserved.

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Timeline by Djordje Djukic, with additional reporting by Evan Centanni

The Disintegration of Yemen
When PolGeoNow published our last Yemen control map two and a half years ago, the country appeared to be holding together, if only barely. Authoritarian president Ali Abdullah Saleh had stepped down in an internationally-backed political compromise to end the country's Arab Spring uprising, and the northern Houthi rebels had halted their advances after promises of political involvement.

Al Qaeda was on the run from its claimed emirates in the south after a military campaign overseen by the new President Abdurabuh Mansur Hadi, Saleh's former vice president. A movement for southern independence remained outspoken, but wasn't taking up arms in large numbers against the government.