Political Geography Now

Monday, June 5, 2023

Which Countries Use the Euro in 2023? (Map of the Eurozone)

July 2025 Note: The map is still correct today. We hope to publish a fully-reviewed and revised version of the article soon.

This map and explainer article, originally from 2016, have been updated to June 2023 to cover the recent addition of Croatia to the Eurozone. You can see previous versions of the map by viewing all Eurozone articles on PolGeoNow.

Map of the Eurozone (euro area), showing which countries use the euro as their currency. Includes members, pre-members (ERM II or ERM-2 waiting area), EU non-members using the euro, and other EU countries. Color blind accessible. Updated to June 2023 with the recent entry of Croatia into the Eurozone.

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

Article by Caleb Centanni and Staff Writer

What is the Eurozone?

Officially called the "euro area", the Eurozone is a nickname for the group of countries in Europe that share a single currency, called the euro, as their official money. The euro currency is managed by the European Union (EU), but many countries in the EU don't use the euro, and some countries outside the EU do use it. The European Central Bank, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, is in charge of regulating the currency and making euro coins and bills (bank notes).

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Saturday, June 3, 2023

Ukraine: Map of Russian Control After Capture of Bakhmut - May 2023 (Subscription)

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Research by Djordje Djukic. Map by Evan Centanni and Djordje Djukic

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Thumbnail previewing map of Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine on May 27, 2023. In addition to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia had already seized in 2014, and parts of the far eastern Donetsk and Luhansk provinces (the Donbas region) already controlled by Russia-backed separatist rebels (and formerly declared independent as the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics), Russian forces still control a wide belt of territory just north of Crimea, including large parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces, as well as large additional areas of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. Meanwhile, all of those provinces are now claimed by the Russian government as parts of Russia, creating a new claimed international border through what was until recently undisputed eastern Ukraine. Map includes key locations from the news, such as Bakhmut (the small city recently captured by Russia), Synkivka, Uman, Pavlohrad, and more. Colorblind accessible.

Russia and its allies have completed their control of Bakhmut in Donetsk province after ten months of bloody battles for the small city. Fighting continues at many other places along the frontlines, including advances for both sides, though more of them in favor of Russia than Ukraine.

See all this and more on the latest update to PolGeoNow's concise, professional Ukraine war control map, which includes a detailed chronicle of changes and events since our previous Ukraine map report of March 26, with sources cited, as well as a close-up map of control within the claimed borders of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (now claimed to be self-governing regions within Russia).

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

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Exclusive map report includes:

Up-to-date illustration of current territorial control in Ukraine, color-coded for the Ukrainian government on one side and the Russian military and allied forces on the other side, with areas of uncertainty indicated. Colorblind accessible.
Darker color indicating which areas were already under Russian or allied control before the 2022 invasion began
Lines showing Russia's newly-claimed border after its annexations of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson provinces.
Donbas close-up map
Close-up map of territorial control within the self-proclaimed boundaries of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, which now claim to be part of Russia
Detailed indication of city-by-city control, including key towns and other locations important to current events
Locations of recent control changes and other important events, including Bakhmut, Synkivka, Uman, Pavlohrad, and more
Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since April 21, 2023, with links to sources.

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Monday, April 24, 2023

Ukraine: Map of Russian Control in April 2023 (Subscription)

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Research by Djordje Djukic. Map by Evan Centanni and Djordje Djukic

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Thumbnail previewing map of Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine on April 21, 2023. In addition to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia had already seized in 2014, and parts of the far eastern Donetsk and Luhansk provinces (the Donbas region) already controlled by Russia-backed separatist rebels (and formerly declared independent as the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics), Russian forces still control a wide belt of territory just north of Crimea, including large parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces, as well as large additional areas of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. Meanwhile, all of those provinces are now claimed by the Russian government as parts of Russia, creating a new claimed international border through what was until recently undisputed eastern Ukraine. Map includes key locations from the news, such as Bakhmut, Marinka, Synkivka, Orikhiv, and more. Colorblind accessible.

In recent weeks Russia has continued to slowly advance within the town of Bakhmut, with both sides making small gains in other parts of Donetsk and Luhansk. We've also made some small corrections to the map in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia provinces based on new information.

Up-to-date illustration of current territorial control in Ukraine, color-coded for the Ukrainian government on one side and the Russian military and allied forces on the other side, with areas of uncertainty indicated. Colorblind accessible.
Darker color indicating which areas were already under Russian or allied control before the 2022 invasion began
Lines showing Russia's newly-claimed border after its annexations of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson provinces.
Donbas close-up map
Close-up map of territorial control within the self-proclaimed boundaries of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, which now claim to be part of Russia
Detailed indication of city-by-city control, including key towns and other locations important to current events
Locations of recent control changes and other important events, including Bakhmut, Marinka, Avdiivka, Bilohorivka, and many more
Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since March 26, 2023, with links to sources.

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Map: Which Countries were in the European Union in 2023, Which Weren't, and Which Wanted to Join?

Note: This is an older version of our European Union map and explainer article. You can always find the most recent version here: Which Countries are in the European Union, Which Aren't, and Which Want to Join?

This map and article have been revised and updated to April 2023. No new countries have joined the EU since our last update in 2020, but there are three new candidate countries and one new "potential candidate".

Map of the European Union, including all member countries, official candidate countries, and potential candidate countries, as of April 2023, updated for the recognition of Ukraine, Moldova, and Bosnia as membership candidates, and Georgia as a potential candidate (colorblind accessible). Also file under: Map of European Union Member Countries.

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

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Sunday, April 9, 2023

Map: Finland Joins NATO

Map of NATO allies in 2023, with all members color-coded in dark blue including the newest country to join, Finland. Also labels Sweden which hoped to join at the same time as Finland, and Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine led to Finland and Sweden choosing to join. The map is projected to appear as if the viewer is looking at a globe, with the North Atlantic Ocean in the center. The left side is dominated by large NATO members the US and Canada, while on the right side the smaller continent of Europe is mostly made up of blue NATO member countries, with a few noticeable gaps. Finland is located at the far upper-right corner, stretched out north-to-south adjacent to the border of non-member Russia, while just to its left, Sweden forms the largest gap in European NATO, surrounded by member countries Finland, Norway, and (across a narrow strip of sea) Denmark, Germany, Poland, and the Baltic countries (colorblind accessible).

Graphic modified by Evan Centanni from this map by Wikimedia user Addicted04 (CC BY-SA).

New NATO Ally: Finland

The northern European country of Finland has been admitted as a full member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Its membership officially went into effect on Tuesday, April 4 after the final paperwork and exchange of documents was completed. Finland is the 31st country to join NATO.

Last week major news outlets incorrectly reported or implied that Finland wouldn't become a NATO member until July, when the organization hopes to welcome both Finland and Sweden to its annual meeting of the member countries' leaders. (Sweden has also applied to join, but its membership is currently being blocked - see below for details.)

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