Honored for our #Somalia control #map to have been featured in the second installment of The New Humanitarian's "rebel rule" series on #rebelgovernance in areas outside control of official govts.

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2025/09/25/al-shabab-why-somalia-militants-winning-legitimacy

#geography #defacto #defactostates #AlShabaab #HornOfAfrica #maps #conflicttracking #controlmap #controlmaps #Africa #politics #security #cartography #AlQaeda #humanitarian @humanitarian @geography @geopolitics @politicalscience

#Gaza Strip has been largely ungoverned for past year+, with #Hamas driven underground and #Israel's ground forces coming and going. Now Hamas has returned to role as Strip's government.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/23/world/middleeast/hamas-gaza-israel-cease-fire.html

#Palestine #defacto #geography #defactostates @geography @geopolitics #GazaStrip

Some recent reporting on the "Kingdom of #Papaala", enigmatic realm of a notorious financial scammer that's become something between a #micronation and a #defacto state. https://harpers.org/archive/2024/11/the-island-king-sean-williams-bougainville/

#Bougainville #PNG #Melanesia #defactostates #micronations #geography #independence #oceania @geography @geopolitics #nationalism #scams

Photojournalist visits "#Chinland": rebel-controlled areas of #Myanmar's #Chin State near #India border, including contested town of #Thantlang

https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-east-asia/myanmar/inside-chinland-picturing-struggle-free-chin-state

#geography #defacto #defactostates #burma #SoutheastAsia #geographyteacher #civilwar @geography @geopolitics

Did you know that three "Olympic Nations" claim to be independent countries, but haven't been allowed membership in the United Nations? More in our #Olympics #geography explainer: https://www.polgeonow.com/2012/07/olympics-parade-of-nations.html

#Paris2024 #geopolitics #defactostates #geographyteacher #independence #politics #sports

#Norway, #Spain & #Ireland say that on May 28 they'll join nearly 3/4 of the world's countries in officially recognizing #Palestine as an independent country. #Slovenia and #Malta say they might soon too. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4nn78r3w3ko

#independence #defacto #defactostates #geography #geopolitics #MiddleEast #diplomacy #Mediterranean #Israel #IsraelPalestineWar @geography @geopolitics

The #Bahamas also recently joined most of the world in individually recognizing #Palestine as an independent country. https://mofa.gov.bs/the-commonwealth-of-the-bahamas-formally-recognizes-palestine-as-a-state/

#geography #diplomacy #defacto #defactostates #MENA #Caribbean #islandcountries #Israel @geography @geopolitics

Has #Ethiopia become first country ever to recognize self-proclaimed Republic of #Somaliland as independent from #Somalia? Somaliland govt says yes, but Ethiopia govt is giving mixed signals.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/1/4/ambiguous-ethiopia-port-deal-fuels-uncertainty-over-somaliland-statehood

One Ethiopian statement says it's only promised to seriously consider recognizing Somaliland: https://addisstandard.com/news-in-depth-assessment-of-somalilands-recognition-bid-by-ethiopia-part-of-mou/

#independence #defacto #defactostates #geographyteacher #geography #HornOfAfrica #AfricaNews #Africa #GulfOfAden #geopolitics @geography @geopolitics