The Republic of Boon Island declared its independence on 1st April 2003, in an effort to raise funds to restore and maintain the remote lighthouse off the coast of Maine. ‘Every political and government office for the new Republic is for sale—for the right price’, the self proclaimed regent of the new republic said. ‘We are a corrupt government, but we are corrupt for the benefit of the people and for the people.’

From winding borders to straight lines and landlocked nations, Al Jazeera explores the stories behind Africa’s map. From Bir Tawil to Cabinda to the Caprivi strip: a visual explainer of some of the continent’s most unusual borders.

Map lines are inherently political. After all, they’re representations of the places that are important to human beings — and those priorities can be delicate and contentious, even more so in a globalized world where multiple nations often share the same maps. Trump’s geographic renaming plans leave mapmakers pondering what to do next.

The breakaway republic of Transnistria has been plunged into an energy crisis following the end of Ukrainian transit of Russian gas. If it is Kyiv and not Moscow that comes to the unrecognized statelet’s aid, Russia risks losing any remaining influence in the region.

The Danish king has shocked some historians by changing the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature Greenland and the Faroe Islands – in what has also been seen as a rebuke to Donald Trump.

The secret mission left the smallest number of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay since the day the detention center opened in 2002.

The prime minister of Greenland called for independence from Denmark and removing the “shackles” of colonialism in a strident New Year’s address this week. The renewed call comes after United States President-elect Donald Trump once again suggested buying Greenland.

With the lightning success of the 11-day offensive by the Islamist faction Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and other rebel groups and the fall of the Assad regime, a new question comes to the fore. Will a Syrian transitional government, backed by Turkey, accept the Kurdish-led autonomous zone in the northeast of the country?

A detonation on a critical aqueduct comes after a series of smaller incidents in the tense Serb-majority north of the country.

Even if the Abkhazian opposition manages to capitalize on its success by putting forward a successful candidate in the upcoming presidential election, the next leader will still have to find common ground with Moscow.

The Anarchist Citizenship: People Made of Stories exhibition, from 27 October 2024 to 26 January 2025 at Framer Framed, examines how storytelling, visual culture, architecture and social life (re)shape citizenship in Somaliland, the Somali region and its diaspora.

Overwhelmed by the vast offerings at The International Film Festival Amsterdam? Let yourself be guided by the IDFA Pathways. De Facto especially recommends ‘Palestine’, ‘The Law of the Land’ and ‘Life in Europe’. See you there?

And strangely enough, it means China and the Philippines have traded positions.

Taipei sets aside fears of Chinese invasion and trade-war crossfire to focus on potential cooperation with the new administration

In October, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that his country would transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia, one of the islands, hosts a US military base and is at the center of the internationally lauded yet highly contentious agreement.

Georgia’s secessionist region of Abkhazia and its de facto government are becoming aware that Russian economic, political, and military support was never unconditional.

Yasha, who used to be a devoted Soviet worker, is struggling to adapt to reality after the Soviet Union’s collapse - he prefers to continue his life in a state that no longer exists. Edgar Baghdasaryan’s tragicomedy Yasha & Leonid Brezhnev will be Armenia’s submission for the upcoming Oscars’ Best International Feature Film.