Israel / Palestine: Map of Control at Start of Lebanon Incursion - Oct. 6, 2024 (Subscription)

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(To see more maps in this series, view all Israel articles or Palestine articles on PolGeoNow.)

Map by Evan Centanni, timeline by Djordje Djukic with Evan Centanni

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What some once called the "Gaza War" is now unquestionably something much bigger, with Israel directing much of its military force instead across the Lebanon border at the Hezbollah militia, assassinating enemies across the middle east, and coming under major direct attack from Iran. Ground fighting in the Gaza Strip has eased, but Israeli airstrikes continue, and Israeli military actions have intensified in the West Bank.

See all this and more in the latest update to PolGeoNow's widely-acclaimed map of territorial administration in the Israel/Palestine area. In addition to the updated map, the report also includes a detailed chronicle of changes and events since June 27, 2024, the date illustrated by our previous Israel/Palestine control map.

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

Want to see before you subscribe? Check out our most recent FREE SAMPLE Israel/Palestine map report!

Exclusive map report includes:

• Up-to-date illustration of current territorial control across all areas claimed by either Israel or Palestine, including Hamas and Israeli military control in the Gaza Strip (not in extreme detail), as well as UN peacekeeper deployments just outside the region
  
• Closer-up inset map showing the divisions in the West Bank: Israeli military control ("Area C", including Israeli settlements), Fatah-led Palestinian jurisdiction ("Area A"), zones of shared administration ("Area B"), and the (annexed) area of Israeli civilian control in East Jerusalem
• Lines illustrating the pre-1967 ceasefire boundaries separating Israel proper from the Palestinian-claimed Gaza Strip and West Bank, as well as the Syria-claimed Golan Heights
  
• Labels for contentious areas, like the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights, Shebaa Farms, and "no man's land"
• Illustration of which parts of Israel proper are subject to the greatest restrictions by military decree under current war powers: the "Gaza Envelope" in the south and the "Confrontation Line" in the north, and now much of northern Israel and the Golan Heights.
  
• Detailed indication of city-by-city control, including key towns and other locations important to current events, including in the West Bank contested towns across the border in Lebanon
• Locations of recent control changes and other important events, including Khan Yunis, Nevatim airbase, Hatzerim and Tel Nof airbases, Jabalia, Yaroun, Adeissah, Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and more, as well as the so-called Philadelphi Corridor and Netzarim Corridor in the Gaza Strip
  
• Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since June 27, 2024, with links to sources.
• Additional timeline entries chronicling events in all four additional fronts to the conflict: (1) the Lebanon border, where Israel and Hezbollah are engaged in cross-border strikes and now an Israeli ground incursion; (2) the West Bank, where near-daily Israeli raids on Palestinian-governed cities have have recently become more intense and destructive; (3) attacks on Western shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden near Yemen, where the US and UK have retaliated militarily against the Yemeni "Houthi" government; and (4) increasing related violence across the Middle East, including direct Iranian and Houthi attacks on Israel; Israeli airstrikes and assassinations in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran; and resumed Iran-backed militia attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria (Fronts 3 and 4 are not illustrated on the map).
  

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Parade of Nations: Which Countries Are (and Aren't) in the Olympics? (Paris 2024)

This is an updated version of an article first published in 2012. To see previous versions, view all Olympics articles on PolGeoNow.

Map of all countries in the Olympics and their regional associations. By Evan Centanni, modeled after this map.

The 2024 Summer Olympics are officially opening this Friday, July 26. This year they're officially hosted by the city of Paris, France, though events will be held all around the country. This is the sixth time France has hosted the games (including the Winter Olympics). It's also Paris's third time to host the Olympics, though it took a break for 100 years. The only other city to host three times is London, in the UK.

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 PolGeoNow's updated guide to the roster of Olympic Nations...

How Many Countries Are There in the World in 2024?

This article, originally from 2011, has been revised and updated to July 2024. You can view older versions of the article in our archives. The main update from last year is the surrender of the self-proclaimed Artsakh Republic (Nagorno-Karabakh), whose territory is now controlled by Azerbaijan.

A world political map published by the US government.

One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who just gives you a simple number isn't telling the whole truth. 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:

Israel / Palestine: Map of Control Amid Rafah Offensive - June 27, 2024 (Subscription)

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There are newer editions of this map available. To see them, view all Israel articles or Palestine articles on PolGeoNow.

Map by Evan Centanni, timeline by Djordje Djukic with Evan Centanni

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Over the last four months, Israel first withdrew most its forces from the Gaza Strip, soon sent them back into certain areas, then began a scaled-down version of its long-promised Rafah offensive. Its forces now hold part of Rafah and other specific areas, while the UN says there's “no authority in most of the territory”. 

Meanwhile, related violence has continued along the Lebanon border, in the West Bank, and in the Red Sea, with broader Middle East tensions reaching a peak in mid-April with a direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran.

See all this and more in the latest update to PolGeoNow's widely-acclaimed map of territorial administration in the Israel/Palestine area. In addition to the updated map, the report also includes a detailed chronicle of changes and events since March 4, 2024, the date illustrated by our previous Israel/Palestine control map.

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

Want to see before you subscribe? Check out our most recent FREE SAMPLE Israel/Palestine map report!

Exclusive map report includes:

• Up-to-date illustration of current territorial control across all areas claimed by either Israel or Palestine, including Hamas and Israeli military control in the Gaza Strip (not in extreme detail), as well as UN peacekeeper deployments just outside the region
  
• Closer-up inset map showing the divisions in the West Bank: Israeli military control ("Area C", including Israeli settlements), Fatah-led Palestinian jurisdiction ("Area A"), zones of shared administration ("Area B"), and the (annexed) area of Israeli civilian control in East Jerusalem
• Lines illustrating the pre-1967 ceasefire boundaries separating Israel proper from the Palestinian-claimed Gaza Strip and West Bank, as well as the Syria-claimed Golan Heights
  
• Labels for contentious areas, like the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights, Shebaa Farms, and "no man's land"
• Illustration of which parts of Israel proper are subject to the greatest restrictions by military decree under current war powers: the "Gaza Envelope" in the south and the "Confrontation Line" in the north, as well as known closed areas of the Golan Heights
  
• Detailed indication of city-by-city control, including key towns and other locations important to current events, including in the West Bank and along the border with Israel and Lebanon
• Locations of recent control changes and other important events, including Rafah, Nuseirat Refugee Camp, the US floating humanitarian pier, Mt. Meron, Hebbariye, Jenin, Tulkarm, and more
  
• Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since March 4, 2024, with links to sources.
• Additional timeline entries chronicling events in all four additional fronts to the conflict: (1) the Lebanon border, where Israel and Hezbollah are engaged in cross-border strikes; (2) the West Bank, where near-daily Israeli raids on Palestinian-governed cities have led to intense clashes; (3) attacks on Western shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden near Yemen, where the US and UK have retaliated militarily against the Yemeni "Houthi" government; and (4) the recent flare-up of direct violence between Israeli and Iran, including Israeli strikes on Iran-aligned targets in Syria (Fronts 3 and 4 are not illustrated on the map).
  

SUBSCRIBERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW FULL ARTICLE AND MAP:
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Not signed up yet? Click here to learn more about our professional subscription service!

Can I purchase just this map?
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.

Sudan Control Map & Timeline: Former Rebels Join Fight - June 2023

(To see other maps in this series, view all Sudan articles on PolGeoNow.)

This marks the first fully up-to-date edition of our new Sudan map series, after several retrospective reports on the situations in previous months. The latest of those, featuring a map of control at the end of January 2024, is being published alongside this one. 

To access our full catalog of map reports covering control in Sudan and many other countries, sign up for our Control Map Subscription Service - popular with major government and international organizations, but available to individual subscribers at just US$19.99 per month!

Map by Evan Centanni and Djordje Djukic, starting from base map by Koen Adams of onestopmap.com. "Neutral Joint Force" has been redefined to exclude Darfuri former rebel groups who have joined the fight against the RSF, now subsumed under "Govt./SAF & allies". See below for a detailed accounting of which groups are included in each territorial control category. To use this map in your own materials, please contact us to arrange permission.

Timeline by Djordje Djukic and Evan Centanni

Darfur's Joint Force Enters War Against RSF, Kicking off Battle of El Fasher

In the four months since the date depicted on PolGeoNow's previous Sudan control map, lines of control have remained mostly stable, except for a major SAF breakthrough within the city of Omdurman and the RSF's takeover of Mellit, the headquarters of Darfur's Joint Force coalition. Other changes to the map have been made to show where new evidence has emerged of RSF presence (or lack thereof), but these don't represent major victories or defeats. The bigger story has, instead, been a critical realignment in alliances.

The leaders of Darfur's most prominent "Joint Force" former rebel groups, the SLM-MM and JEM-Jibril, have been outspoken against the RSF since November 2023, even recruiting and training new SAF-allied forces in eastern Sudan. But until recently, their field commanders based in Darfur, where the core of each group's forces were stationed, had kept unofficially neutral in the war, helping preserve a year-long, citizen-mediated ceasefire in the city of El Fasher. That all changed after Joint Force troops started fighting alongside the SAF around Khartoum in late March, leading to RSF retaliation across Sudan. By mid-April, the group's major commanders in Darfur had joined the fight, kicking off a devastating, full-scale battle for the region's capital.

A few months ago, "neutral Joint Force" was a useful label for most of the former rebel forces in Darfur, but today it can only fairly apply to the minority of factions who refused to enter the battle, and now say they're launching an official "Neutral Joint Force" separate from the larger SAF-allied one. Our map has been changed accordingly, now subsuming SAF-allied groups within "Govt./SAF and allies", while reserving the "Neutral Joint Force" symbols from the January map for the new strictly neutral coalition. Nearly every Darfuri former rebel group has split into factions over the question of whether to ally with the SAF, with the longtime leaders of the SLM-TC and GSLF, alongside their loyalist factions, heading the neutral camp.