The Maldives' Withdrawal from the Commonwealth

Map by Evan Centanni, modified from public domain blank world map

Libya Control Map & Timeline - April 2017 (Subscription)

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

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After driving so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL) fighters out of their last stronghold in Libya, clashes have gradually increased between the country's two rival governments, even as the eastern government has continued its unilateral campaign against religious hardliners, and a new "neutral" military force has emerged with ties to the ousted leader of the previous western government.
 
See all this and more on the latest update to PolGeoNow's concise, professional Libyan Civil War control map, which comes with a timeline of changes since our December 2016 Libya map report.

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• Up-to-date map of current territorial control in Libya, color-coded for the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), the rival Tobruk parliament and Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), religious hardline groups, and other actors such as the Toubou people of the southern desert.
• 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 Benghazi, Sidra oil port, the Brak and Tamenhint airbases, and more.
• Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since December 6, 2016, with all sources cited.

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Syria Control Map & Timeline - April 2017 (Subscription)

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The so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL) has continued to lose ground in Syria to the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the north, and to rebel groups in the southern desert. Meanwhile, the Assad government has made some gains against rebels in Hama province, the Damascus area, and elsewhere.
 
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 March, with sources cited.

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• 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. Colorblind accessible.
• Special symbols indicating towns dominated by rebels of the former Nusra Front (now Hayat Tahrir 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 other important events, including Thawra, Halfaya, Suran, Qaboun, and more.
• Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since March 29, 2017, compiled by our Syria-Iraq expert, with links to sources.

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Syria Control Map & Timeline: "Islamic State" Under Siege - March 2017 (Subscription)

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Advances against the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL) have accelerated from all sides, with Kurdish-led forces nearing the doorstep of the group's capital city. Meanwhile, months of defeats for anti-Assad rebels may have begun to reverse.
 
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 February, with sources cited.

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• 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. Colorblind accessible.
• Special symbols indicating towns dominated by rebels of the former Nusra Front (now Hayat Tahrir 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 other important events, including Palmyra, Dayr Hafir, Karama, Qaboun, and more.
• Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since February 24, 2017, compiled by our Syria-Iraq expert, with links to sources.

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2016 Year in Review: Country & Border Changes

Inside this Review of 2016:

Map of election results from the UK's "Brexit" referendum on leaving the European Union

• Country name, capital, and flag changes
• Border changes and disputed territories 
• Separatist states and proposed new countries
• Recognition of disputed countries 
• Countries joining (and leaving) international organizations
• Sea borders and seabed claims
• New states and provinces within countries
• Changes to countries' coastal contours and official languages

And in companion articles:
Rebel Control Around the World in 2016 
Time Zones that Changed in 2016 

It's PolGeoNow's mission to track changes to the world's countries, borders, and territories, whether it's happening formally on the books or unofficially on the ground. When new countries appear, borders change, and territorial disputes arise or are settled, you'll hear about it here. With 2016 now concluded, here's our look back at the events of the year!

(For extra coverage of geography events in 2017, follow @PolGeoNow on Twitter!)

2016 Year in Review: Rebel Control Around the World

The rebel control maps in this article were produced for PolGeoNow's professional conflict map subscription service. Full-size versions of all PolGeoNow conflict maps, along with territorial control timelines, are accessible to subscribers. You can learn more about our map subscriptions here. Non-subscribers can also view our collection of free sample control map reports.

Syria in February 2016

Syria in December 2016

The Year in Territorial Control Changes

For the past three years, PolGeoNow has published a "Year in Review" article to summarize all the political geography news that's happened in the past 12 months. The 2014 and 2015 articles included news about changing territorial control in conflict zones, but because this is a major topic of its own, we've chosen to split these events into a separate article for 2016. So read on for a concise summary of last year's rebel control changes...

See Also: 2016 Year in Review: Country & Border Changes 
 

Syria, Iraq, and the "Islamic State"

The Syrian Civil War continued to be the biggest armed conflict in the world through 2016, as well as a prominent example of a country whose territory isn't all controlled by the recognized government. During the past year, pro-government forces scored some major victories against the rebels, recapturing the country's second largest city and gradually increasing control in areas around the capital.

Interactive Maps: Which Places Switched Time Zones in 2016?

This article is a spin-off from our popular yearly review of political geography events. For more on changes to countries and borders in 2016, check out our main 2016 year in review article! 

Free map of world time zones from Wikimedia Commons, up-to-date for the beginning of 2017. See the close-ups below for interactive, before-and-after illustrations of time zone changes during 2016.

Article and additional graphics work by Evan Centanni
 

Who Controls Time Zones?

The system of dividing the world into time zones is accepted all around the world, in principle. It's an organized way of letting clocks in each part of the world hit noon around the middle of daylight hours, even if it's midnight on the other side of the world. But surprisingly, there's actually no international organization that determines time zones. Except for in the open ocean, where time zones are standardized by a loose agreement between fleets and ship operators, the dividing lines are set independently by each country's government, or even by local governments below the national level.

Iraq Control Map & Timeline - March 2017 (Subscription)

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Since January, fighting has raged on for control of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. Iraqi government forces and allies have secured control of the city's eastern half from the so-called "Islamic State" (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL), and have continued to gain ground both in the city and in the surrounding region.
 
See all this and more on the latest update to PolGeoNow's concise, professional map of control in Iraq's civil war, including a timeline of changes since our previous Iraq map report of November 2016.

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• Detailed indication of town-by-town control, including all major cities and many smaller ones, as well as major roads and provincial boundaries
• Markers for key areas of recent fighting such as Mosul, Badush, and Tal Abta
• Timeline of changes to the situation since early January, compiled by our Iraq-Syria specialist, with links to sources

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Syria Control Map & Timeline: Rebels Capture Al-Bab - February 2017 (Subscription)

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In the past month, the so-called "Islamic State" (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL) has lost control of Al-Bab, the third-largest city in Aleppo province, to Turkish-backed rebels, even as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) approach the group's capital city of Raqqah in the east. And in southwestern Syria, rebels have lost ground to both government and IS 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 January, with sources cited.

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

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• 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. Colorblind accessible.
• Special symbols indicating towns dominated by rebels of the former Nusra Front (now Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) and Kurdish-led 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 other important events, including Al-Bab, Qabasin, Tasil, Abu Khashab, and more.
• Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since January 20, 2017, compiled by our Syria-Iraq expert, with links to sources.

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Yemen Control Map & Report: February 2017 (Subscription)

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

Since the beginning of 2017, forces loyal to the Yemen's Saudi-backed President Hadi have gained ground against the Houthi government along the Red Sea coast, while fighters of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have once again taken over parts of southern Yemen's Abyan province.

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 late December.

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• Detailed indication of town-by-town control, including provincial boundaries, all major cities, and many smaller ones
• Markers for recent areas of fighting, including Mocha, Dhubab, Awhar, Lawdar, Shuqrah, and areas long the Yemen border with Saudi Arabia
• Timeline of changes to the situation since December 30, 2016, with links to sources

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

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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

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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.

Morocco Joins African Union; CAR Un-suspended (Map)

Map by Evan Centanni, from this blank map by Eric Gaba. License: CC BY-SA

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Article by Evan Centanni

Morocco Rejoins AU after Long Absence

The North African country of Morocco became the 55th member of the African Union (AU) this week, after member countries voted to let it back into the organization after 33 years on its own. Morocco withdrew from the Organisation for African Unity (OAU), an earlier version of the AU, in 1984. The AU now includes every independent country in Africa, not counting the unrecognized breakaway state of Somaliland. The last country to join was South Sudan, which became a member three weeks after declaring independence in July 2011.

Syria Control Map & Timeline: January 2017 (Subscription)

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

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In the past month, Syria's Assad government has continued to consolidate its power after a major victory over the rebels in the city of Aleppo. Meanwhile, forces of the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL) have lost ground to Kurdish-led militias even while holding their own against the Syrian Army.
 
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 December, with sources cited.

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

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• 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. Colorblind accessible.
• Special symbols indicating towns dominated by rebels of the former 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 other important events, including the Barada Valley, Hazrama, Thawra, the T4 airbase, and more.
• Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since December 18, 2016, compiled by our Syria-Iraq expert, with links to sources.

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Iraq Control Map & Timeline: The Battle for Mosul - January 2017 (Subscription)

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

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Over the past two months, a battle has raged for control of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq and the largest controlled by the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL). Government and allied forces have made slow but steady progress in the city and nearby areas, even while advancing in western Iraq's Anbar province at the same time.
 
See all this and more on the latest update to PolGeoNow's concise, professional map of control in Iraq's civil war, including a timeline of changes since our previous Iraq map report of November 2016.

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• Detailed indication of town-by-town control, including provincial boundaries, all major cities, and many smaller ones
• Markers for key areas of recent fighting such as Mosul, Tal Afar, Al-Sagra, and Hamam al-Alil
• Timeline of changes to the situation since early November, compiled by our Iraq specialist, with links to sources

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Yemen Control Map & Report: December 2016

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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.

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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.

What is Wallonia? Belgium's Unusual Federal System

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Maps by Evan Centanni, from base map by Vascer
(CC BY-SA)

By Bryn Jansson
 

Wallonia vs. the European Union

Belgium often seems like an afterthought in European politics. It doesn’t have the economic clout of a Germany, the political influence of a France, or the military power of a Britain. It’s a small country tucked into the northwest corner of Europe, and known mostly for its chocolate and beer (though the acclaim both have earned is well-deserved). It’s home to the European Union headquarters in Brussels, but otherwise holds no special political power in the for-now 28-nation bloc.

Yet there it was this October, caught in the middle of a European political drama, the lone holdout of the EU-28 against the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a large scale free-trade deal with Canada. Even more amazingly, it wasn’t even the whole of Belgium blocking the trade deal, but only the sub-region of Wallonia, home to 32 percent of Belgians (known as “Walloons”) and less than 1 percent of EU citizens.

Syria Control Map & Timeline: Assad Retakes Aleppo - December 2016 (Subscription)

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

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There have been big and important changes to territorial control in Syria in the past month. The Assad government has retaken most of Syria's second biggest city, as well as several other areas of the country, even as the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL) has recaptured the historic desert town of Palmyra.
 
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 November, with sources cited.

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• 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. Colorblind accessible.
• Special symbols indicating towns dominated by rebels of the former 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 other important events, including Aleppo, Palmyra, Khan al-Shih, Mayda'ani, and more.
• Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since November 23, 2016, compiled by our Syria-Iraq expert, with links to sources.

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Libya's "Islamic State" Loses Last City: Dec. 2016 Control Map & Timeline (Subscription)

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

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In the past three months, a lot has changed in Libya, including the expulsion of the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL) from its last territory in North Africa. Meanwhile, Libya now has three competing governments, and key oil ports have changed hands.
 
See all this and more on the latest update to PolGeoNow's concise, professional Libyan Civil War control map, which comes with a timeline of changes since our September 2016 Libya map report.

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• 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 Sirte, Sidra, Ras Lanuf, Brega, and more.
• Detailed timeline of important events and changes to territorial control since September 6, 2016, with all sources cited.
• New since last year: Major roads are marked on the map for reference

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Syrian Civil War Control Map & Report: November 2016

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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, 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.

The Czech Republic is Now Officially "Czechia" For Short

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Czech Republic Changes Official Name

Location of "Czechia" within the European Union
Map by David Liuzzo (CC BY-SA)

Last month, we wrote about a formal name change for the Gambia, a small country in Africa. But the Gambia wasn't the only country to modify its official name this year: Europe's Czech Republic also filed a name change with the UN, of a slightly different kind.

Rather than changing the details of its full name, as the Gambia did when it switched out "Republic of the Gambia" for "Islamic Republic of the Gambia", the Czech Republic actually only changed its foreign language short name.

Long known for not really having a good short name in English, the Czech Republic now wants you to call it "Czechia" (pronounced "CHECK-ee-ah") in all casual contexts. (The complete formal name is still "Czech Republic".)

Iraq Control Map & Timeline: The Siege of Mosul - November 2016 (Subscription)

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The battle is now on for Mosul, the so-called Islamic State's (ISIS/ISIL) biggest city. A grand coalition of Iraqi military, Shiite and Sunni militias, and Kurdistan's Peshmerga forces - with controversial help from the Turkish military - have now entered and mostly surrounded the city.
 
See all this and more on the latest update to PolGeoNow's concise, professional map of control in Iraq's civil war, including a timeline of changes since our previous Iraq map report of September 2016.

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• Detailed indication of town-by-town control, including provincial boundaries, all major cities, and many smaller ones
• Markers for key areas of recent fighting such as Mosul, Bashiqa, Sharqat, and Bartella
• Timeline of changes to the situation since early September, compiled by our Iraq specialist, with links to sources

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The Gambia's Name Change

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US government map of the Gambia (source)

The Gambia Changes Official Name
If you read our review of world political geography changes in 2015, you might remember a brief note on the official name of the Gambia, a tiny country located along the banks of a river in West Africa. Last December, the Gambia's maverick dictator decided to declare the country an "Islamic republic", a designation that can have various meanings and is used by four other countries in the world.

At the time, at least one regional news source claimed that the country's official name had indeed been changed from "Republic of The Gambia" to "Islamic Republic of The Gambia". But for a country's name to be formally changed, its government normally has to pass a law or at least issue some kind of proclamation, and at the time it wasn't clear whether that had actually  happened.