African Union Reinstates Egypt and Guinea-Bissau (Map)

The African Union as of July 2014. Map by Evan Centanni, from this blank map by Eric Gaba.
License: CC BY-SA

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Map Update: Kosovo Recognized by 3 More Countries in 2014 (106/193)

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Countries recognizing the Republic of Kosovo in green, highlighting recent additions. Disputed recognitions in yellow. Kosovo in magenta. Map by Evan Centanni, modified from public domain graphic (source).

War in Ukraine: Detailed Map of Rebel Control in Donetsk & Luhansk (Premium)

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All new, detailed map of rebel control in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions, home to the claimed Donetsk People's Republic, Lugansk People's Republic, and Federation of Novorossiya. 

Since our last Ukraine update, pro-Russian rebels have captured much more territory in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but also lost some of their early strongholds. 

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• All new, detailed map of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, showing both past and current rebel control
• Indication of which districts and cities have had their administrations occupied by separatists
• Important locations of rebel military control marked
• Article with chronology of events since April, and discussion of the meaning of "control"

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Map: Yemen Joins WTO

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Member and observer states of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Map by Evan Centanni, starting from public domain blank map (license: CC BY-NC-SA).

Syria Civil War: Territorial Control Map #12.3 (Premium)

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This is the Syria update you've been waiting for: our new map includes not only cities, but a full illustration of territorial control for each faction in the civil war. Also includes many updates to the situation since the last edition in April.

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Premium map includes:

• Up-to-date map of current territorial control in Syria, color-coded for the Assad government, rebel groups, ISIS/Islamic State extremists, and Kurdish self-protection forces
• Detailed indication of city-by-city control, highlighting key towns relevant to current events
• Includes recent areas of fighting including Deir ez-Zor, Abu Kamal, Mayadin, Khan Shaykhun, and many more
• In-depth article summarizes changes since April, including ISIS's declaration of an Islamic caliphate, with links to the sources of information

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Iraq's New War: Detailed Map of ISIS Takeover (Premium)

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Since our last Iraq map update less than a month ago, the conflict has blown up with a spectacularly successful offensive by ISIS rebels. PolGeoNow presents here our updated map of territorial control in Iraq, more detailed and accurate than any of the maps available on news websites.

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• Territorial control in Iraq by city, color coded for government, ISIS, or Kurdistan Government
• Detail of ISIS control and attempted control of small towns, military bases, and border crossings
• Inset map with extra detail for Kirkuk province, where ISIS and Kurdish forces are facing off
• Shading showing the estimated total area of ISIS control
• Article summarizing events since May, explaining the information on the map, and providing in-line links to sources cited

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World Cup 2014: Which Countries Are (and Aren't) Members of FIFA?

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The six continental confederations of national football teams associated with FIFA. Not all confederation members are individually members of FIFA. Map by Evan Centanni, based on work by EOZyo (source).

Football/soccer fans around the world are tuning in tonight for the beginning of the month-long FIFA World Cup in Brazil. But how much do you know about which teams can compete? Which countries were eligible to enter the tournament, and which are excluded? Read on for an exclusive guide to the roster of FIFA national football teams...

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Palestine: West Bank and Gaza Reunited Under Transitional Government

(Keep up with changes to Palestine's situation: view all Palestine updates.)

Control zones based on the Oslo Accords. Area A: Palestinian control; Area B: mixed Israeli-Palestinian control; Area C: full Israeli control. Map by Evan Centanni (sources: Natural Earth, B'Tselem, U.N. OCHA oPt).

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By Evan Centanni

Unity Government
The partially-unrecognized State of Palestine is not only divided between Palestinian and Israel control - even the Palestinian-administered areas have been governed separately for several years now. However, this month rival parties Hamas and Fatah have finally come together to reunite the West Bank and Gaza Strip under a single Palestinian government.

Divided Country
The rift in control opened up in 2007, after religious militant group Hamas won a majority of seats in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections. Hamas and Fatah, the current ruling party at the time, failed to form a stable unity government then, and the conflict between them escalated into a short civil war in the Gaza Strip. 

See Also: Is Palestine Really a Country?

Iraq: Updated Map of ISIS Control (Premium)

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This is our first update to January's map of Al Qaeda control in Iraq. The map has been expanded to show much more detail of the ongoing campaign of control by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), now no longer an Al Qaeda affiliate.

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• Territorial control in Iraq by city, color coded for government, ISIS, or Kurdistan
• Detail of ISIS control and attempted control in small towns, including in the eastern flashpoint province of Diyala
• Inset map with extra detail for Anbar province, where ISIS controls the most populated territory
• Indications of estimated ISIS control/influence in the countryside
• Article summarizing events since January, explaining the information on the map, and providing in-line links to the sources of information

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Mayotte Enters European Union

"Outermost regions" are officially part of the European Union; "overseas countries and territories" are not part of the EU itself, but have special relations with it because of their connections to member countries. New outermost region Mayotte is located in southeastern Africa. Map from Wikimedia Commons © Alexrk2 (CC BY-SA)

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Article by Evan Centanni

EU Expands to Include Mayotte
You probably heard about Croatia joining the European Union last year, but did you know the EU expanded further this year...in Africa? The French overseas department of Mayotte, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean northwest of Madagascar, became officially part of the EU on January 1.

Syria Civil War Map: April 2014 (#12.2) (Premium)

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PolGeoNow's popular Syria civil war control maps are back! Here's the second of our member-exclusive premium updates. 

Developments since our previous Syria map update in January include advances by both the government and the rebels, as well as changes in territorial control for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

This map and article are exclusive premium content, available only to members or for individual purchase. Buy now (US$9.99).

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• Map of current territorial control in Syria by city, color-coded for the Assad government, rebel groups, ISIS extremists, and Kurdish militias
• Map includes recent areas of fighting such as Yabroud, Maloula, Kasab, Azaz, Al Bukamal, and more
• Article summarizing changes since January, with links to the sources of information

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Ukraine Map #3: Separatist Control in the East (Premium)

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Since our previous Ukraine update ten days ago, there has been a spectacular resurgence of aggressive separatist activity in eastern Ukraine, including not only protester occupations but also armed seizures reminiscent of those that began the Crimea crisis last month.

This is an up-to-date and detailed map of pro-Russian rebel and protester control in Ukraine, including the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic".

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• Ukraine control map updated for the protester occupations and armed rebel takeovers in eastern Ukraine over the past two weeks
• Shows both protester occupations and armed takeovers, as well as which regions have declared independence
• Includes a quick briefing on recent events, with links to the sources of information

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ICYMI: The Gambia's Withdrawal from the Commonwealth

"In case you missed it" - this is an article featuring news we couldn't cover when it first broke, but that we thought you might still want to know about. Those who read our article on the year 2013 in political geography changes already heard about the Gambia's withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Nations - now here's the full story.

The Commonwealth of Nations. Current members in dark blue, former members in lavender. Map by Evan Centanni, modified from public domain blank map.

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Update: Ukraine Control Overview Map (Premium)

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This is a brief supplement to our Mar. 4 report, Ukraine Map: Occupations, Autonomy, & Invasion. See that report for a detailed overview of protester occupations and declarations of autonomy in the first two stages of the Ukraine crisis: the anti-Yanukovich Maidan movement and the eastern pro-Russian protests. 

The current article is an update on the current control situation in Ukraine from Mar. 4 to the present. This map and article are exclusive premium content, available only to members or for individual purchase. Buy now (US$5.99).

Premium article includes:

• Simple updated map of the political situation in Ukraine since Mar. 4
• Shows the last of the pro-Russian protester occupations, the annexation of Crimea, and seizures by the Ukrainian and Russian militaries outside of Crimea proper
• Report on the course of events since the last report, explaining each detail shown on the map
• In-line links to sources of information

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