ICYMI: Cape Verde's Name Change

In the following weeks, PolGeoNow will be publishing several short "in case you missed it (ICYMI)" articles on events from 2013. This is news that we weren't able to cover when it first broke, but that we thought our readers might still want to know about.

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

Cape Verde, now officially Cabo Verde (click to enlarge). Map by Oona Räisänen/Wikimedia (CC BY-SA) (source).

By Evan Centanni

Cape Verde Changes Official Name
If you read our article on the year 2013 in political geography changes, you've already heard about the change to Cape Verde's official English name. But since keeping track of country name changes is one of the primary missions of Political Geography Now, we are now presenting this in-depth report on the topic.

South Sudan Rebellion: Map Update 2 (Premium Content)

Download PDF buy (Subscribe via Paypal)

Both peace talks and fighting continue nearly two weeks after our last South Sudan update. In the meantime, there have been several changes to rebel control. The newly updated premium map and report reflect those events, as well as newly available information about other localities. Buy now (US$2.99).

Premium article includes:

• Exclusive updated map of rebel control in South Sudan's ongoing uprising (current as of January 16, 2014)
• A number of new localities have been added to the map since last time
• Report chronicling changes to territorial control since the previous map, with links to sources

Members click here to proceed to article and map

Not a member yet? Subscribe Now!

Iraq: Map of Al Qaeda Control

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

PolGeoNow presents our first map of Iraq, showing control by the government and Al Qaeda rebels in the country's ongoing crisis. Areas of autonomous Kurdish administration in the north are also indicated.

Want to see timely updates for this map? Subscribe to our premium member service!

Territorial control in Iraq at the beginning of 2014. Map by Evan Centanni, starting from this blank map by German Wikipedia user NordNordWest. License: CC BY-SA

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

By Evan Centanni

Al Qaeda in Iraq
Though the reality is of course more complex, power politics in Iraq often revolve around the country's three largest ethnic groups: Shia (Shiite) Arabs, Sunni Arabs, and Kurds (most Kurds are religiously Sunni, but their language and cultural distinguish them from Arabs). Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shia Arab, is often accused of manipulating Iraq's democracy to exclusively serve the country's Shia majority. The Kurds govern a highly autonomous region in the northeast, but the Sunni Arabs who dominate northwestern Iraq have relatively little political power. Into the fray has jumped Al Qaeda in Iraq, now part of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) organization which also controls parts of Syria (map). Al Qaeda has waged a fierce campaign against the Iraqi government in the name of Sunnis, though the group is still rejected by many of the people it claims to protect.

South Sudan: Rebel Control Map Update (Premium Content)

There are newer versions of this map available. To see the full list of updates, view all South Sudan articles. 

Download PDF buy (Subscribe via Paypal)

Since our first map report on rebel control in South Sudan's political crisis, the situation has continued to develop quickly, with several cities and towns changing hands. PolGeoNow now presents an updated map and report exclusively available as premium content for purchase and to our subscribers. Buy now for only US$2.99!

Premium article includes:

• Exclusive updated map of rebel control in South Sudan's ongoing uprising 
• Report chronicling changes since the previous map, with links to sources

Members click here to proceed to article and map

Not a member yet? Subscribe Now!

2013: The Year in Political Geography Changes

By Evan Centanni

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

 Although popular for maps of territorial control in conflict zones, PolGeoNow's original mission is tracking formal changes to the world's political geography. When new countries appear, borders change, and territorial disputes arise or are settled, you'll hear about it here. As 2013 draws to a close, here's our look back at the major events of the year:

"State of Palestine"

Country Name Changes
This year didn't see the creation of any new countries (unless you count the failed bid of the Bangsamoro Republik), but there were a few changes to country names. In October, the African island country of Cape Verde chose to change its official English name to "Cabo Verde", with the long form being "Republic of Cabo Verde". This brings it in line with the name in Portuguese, the country's official language. Meanwhile, in January, Libya established its full name as "State of Libya," after more than a year of going without an official long-form name. Since the 2011 revolution, the new government had been calling the country anything but Muammar Gaddafi's preferred "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya".