Maps

Animated Map: The History of U.S. Counties

Published

3 years ago

July 31, 2020

Carmen Ang

Animated Video: The History of U.S Counties

Did you know that there are 3,142 different counties in the U.S. today?

Going as far back as the 1600s, English settlers arriving in the New World envisioned counties as a means of accessible government—a county seat was meant to be within a day’s buggy ride for every citizen.

While the role of counties in local government has remained significant in modern times, their boundaries have changed drastically over the years.

This animated map by Alexander Varlamov visualizes the history of U.S. county borders, and how these jurisdictions have evolved over time.

County Equivalents

Before diving in, it’s important to note a few county-equivalents that function similarly but go by different names:

Boroughs/Census areas: Alaska is made up of 19 boroughs, but the majority of its landmass is not included in them. Rather, it’s officially labeled by the Alaskan government as the unorganized borough.
Parishes: Instead of counties, Louisiana uses the term parishes because of its French and Catholic heritage.
Independent cities: These are cities that operate outside their surrounding county’s jurisdiction. There are 41 independent cities in the U.S. and 38 of them are in Virginia.

Over 300 Years of Growth

The number of counties in the U.S. has increased dramatically since the early days of American history. Here’s a look at their growth since 1790:

Year	Number of Counties and Parishes
1790	292
1850	1621
1870	2247
1900	2713
1920	3041

The first county was established in 1634, over 100 years before the first Census was taken (and long before America gained independence). It was created in James City, Virginia—an interesting location, considering Virginia now has the highest concentration of independent cities.

Why does Virginia have so many independent cities? The state’s separation of counties and cities dates back to the early 1700s. With a rural population and low productivity, it was difficult to establish town centers. After several attempts, the General Assembly gave up. Independent cities were established instead.

Short-lived Counties

Counties as a political organization have been around for hundreds of years, but some individual counties haven’t lasted long.

For instance, Bullfrog County in Nevada was established in 1987 and dissolved just two years later. During its brief existence, it had no population and no infrastructure—and its primary purpose was simply to prevent Yucca Mountain from becoming a nuclear waste dump.

While Bullfrog County has since been dissolved, the controversy around the nuclear waste site is ongoing as of 2020.

Continual Change

The latest official county, Broomfield Country, was established in Colorado in 2001.

Although it’s been decades since the last county was created, there have been continual boundary changes and status updates—sometimes for political reasons. For instance, the Supreme Court recently ruled that half of Oklahoma is within a Native American reservation. While this doesn’t necessarily change ownership, it does affect jurisdiction and county authority.

Though the lines on the map are more or less static now, the invisible lines of county jurisdiction will continue to change and evolve over time.

Related Topics:history borders US Counties Virginia

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Maps

Mapped: Which Countries Recognize Israel or Palestine, or Both?

In this visualization, we look at how international recognition of Israel and Palestine breaks down among the 193 UN member states.

Published

6 days ago

November 24, 2023

Chris Dickert

Map showing the recognition of Israel and Palestine by the 193 UN member countries.

Which Countries Recognize Israel or Palestine, or Both?

The modern-day conflict between Israel and Palestine emerged from the British Mandate for Palestine, which administered the former Ottoman Empire territory after World War I. But even after 75 years—and declarations of independence from each side—universal recognition eludes them.

In this visualization, we look at how Israel and Palestine recognition breaks down among the 193 UN member states as of November 14, 2023, using Wikpedia data for each state.

This post is a companion piece to separate maps showing the recognition of Israel and of Palestine by country.

A Declaration of Independence

The Jewish People’s Council declared the foundation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 (the same day that the last British forces left Haifa) on the basis of the 1947 UN Partition Plan, which divided the Mandate territories between Jewish and Arab populations.

U.S. President Truman granted de-facto recognition 11 minutes after the Israeli declaration. Not to be outdone by their Cold War adversary, the U.S.S.R. followed suit three days later with de-jure recognition and was joined by Warsaw Pact allies Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Poland.

By the end of 1948, 21 countries recognized Israel.

A Second Declaration of Independence

A declaration of independence for the State of Palestine, comprising the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, didn’t happen until 40 years later.

In the midst of the First Intifada, a five-year-long Palestinian uprising that began in 1987, the Palestine Liberation Organization proclaimed the new state in the city of Algiers on November 15, 1988.

A dozen countries, including 10 members of the Arab League along with Malaysia and Yemen, immediately recognized the new state. The Soviet Union, the Eastern Bloc, and most of the Muslim world also joined in recognizing the State of Palestine.

Recognition of Israel and Palestine by Country

As of November 2023, 163 UN member states have recognized Israel, while 138 have recognized Palestine.

	UN Member State	Recognize Israel 🇮🇱	Recognize Palestine 🇵🇸
🇦🇫	Afghanistan	No	Yes
🇦🇱	Albania	Yes	Yes
🇩🇿	Algeria	No	Yes
🇦🇩	Andorra	Yes	No
🇦🇴	Angola	Yes	Yes
🇦🇬	Antigua and Barbuda	Yes	Yes
🇦🇷	Argentina	Yes	Yes
🇦🇲	Armenia	Yes	No
🇦🇺	Australia	Yes	No
🇦🇹	Austria	Yes	No
🇦🇿	Azerbaijan	Yes	Yes
🇧🇸	Bahamas	Yes	No
🇧🇭	Bahrain	Yes	Yes
🇧🇩	Bangladesh	No	Yes
🇧🇧	Barbados	Yes	No
🇧🇾	Belarus	Yes	Yes
🇧🇪	Belgium	Yes	No
🇧🇿	Belize	No	Yes
🇧🇯	Benin	Yes	Yes
🇧🇹	Bhutan	Yes	Yes
🇧🇴	Bolivia	No	Yes
🇧🇦	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Yes	Yes
🇧🇼	Botswana	Yes	Yes
🇧🇷	Brazil	Yes	Yes
🇧🇳	Brunei	No	Yes
🇧🇬	Bulgaria	Yes	Yes
🇧🇫	Burkina Faso	Yes	Yes
🇧🇮	Burundi	Yes	Yes
🇰🇭	Cambodia	Yes	Yes
🇨🇲	Cameroon	Yes	No
🇨🇦	Canada	Yes	No
🇨🇻	Cape Verde	Yes	Yes
🇨🇫	Central African Republic	Yes	Yes
🇹🇩	Chad	Yes	Yes
🇨🇱	Chile	Yes	Yes
🇨🇳	China	Yes	Yes
🇨🇴	Colombia	Yes	Yes
🇰🇲	Comoros	No	Yes
🇨🇷	Costa Rica	Yes	Yes
🇨🇮	Côte d'Ivoire	Yes	Yes
🇭🇷	Croatia	Yes	No
🇨🇺	Cuba	No	Yes
🇨🇾	Cyprus	Yes	Yes
🇨🇿	Czechia	Yes	Yes
🇨🇩	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Yes	Yes
🇩🇰	Denmark	Yes	No
🇩🇯	Djibouti	No	Yes
🇩🇲	Dominica	Yes	Yes
🇩🇴	Dominican Republic	Yes	Yes
🇪🇨	Ecuador	Yes	Yes
🇪🇬	Egypt	Yes	Yes
🇸🇻	El Salvador	Yes	Yes
🇬🇶	Equatorial Guinea	Yes	Yes
🇪🇷	Eritrea	Yes	No
🇪🇪	Estonia	Yes	No
🇸🇿	Eswatini	Yes	Yes
🇪🇹	Ethiopia	Yes	Yes
🇫🇲	Federated States of Micronesia	Yes	No
🇫🇯	Fiji	Yes	No
🇫🇮	Finland	Yes	No
🇫🇷	France	Yes	No
🇬🇦	Gabon	Yes	Yes
🇬🇪	Georgia	Yes	Yes
🇩🇪	Germany	Yes	No
🇬🇭	Ghana	Yes	Yes
🇬🇷	Greece	Yes	No
🇬🇩	Grenada	Yes	Yes
🇬🇹	Guatemala	Yes	Yes
🇬🇳	Guinea	Yes	Yes
🇬🇼	Guinea-Bissau	Yes	Yes
🇬🇾	Guyana	Yes	Yes
🇭🇹	Haiti	Yes	Yes
🇭🇳	Honduras	Yes	Yes
🇭🇺	Hungary	Yes	Yes
🇮🇸	Iceland	Yes	Yes
🇮🇳	India	Yes	Yes
🇮🇩	Indonesia	No	Yes
🇮🇷	Iran	No	Yes
🇮🇶	Iraq	No	Yes
🇮🇪	Ireland	Yes	No
🇮🇱	Israel	Yes	No
🇮🇹	Italy	Yes	No
🇯🇲	Jamaica	Yes	No
🇯🇵	Japan	Yes	No
🇯🇴	Jordan	Yes	Yes
🇰🇿	Kazakhstan	Yes	Yes
🇰🇪	Kenya	Yes	Yes
🇰🇮	Kiribati	Yes	No
🇰🇼	Kuwait	No	Yes
🇰🇬	Kyrgyzstan	Yes	Yes
🇱🇦	Laos	Yes	Yes
🇱🇻	Latvia	Yes	No
🇱🇧	Lebanon	No	Yes
🇱🇸	Lesotho	Yes	Yes
🇱🇷	Liberia	Yes	Yes
🇱🇾	Libya	No	Yes
🇱🇮	Liechtenstein	Yes	No
🇱🇹	Lithuania	Yes	No
🇱🇺	Luxembourg	Yes	No
🇲🇬	Madagascar	Yes	Yes
🇲🇼	Malawi	Yes	Yes
🇲🇾	Malaysia	No	Yes
🇲🇻	Maldives	No	Yes
🇲🇱	Mali	No	Yes
🇲🇹	Malta	Yes	Yes
🇲🇭	Marshall Islands	Yes	No
🇲🇷	Mauritania	No	Yes
🇲🇺	Mauritius	Yes	Yes
🇲🇽	Mexico	Yes	No
🇲🇩	Moldova	Yes	No
🇲🇨	Monaco	Yes	No
🇲🇳	Mongolia	Yes	Yes
🇲🇪	Montenegro	Yes	Yes
🇲🇦	Morocco	Yes	Yes
🇲🇿	Mozambique	Yes	Yes
🇲🇲	Myanmar	Yes	No
🇳🇦	Namibia	Yes	Yes
🇳🇷	Nauru	Yes	No
🇳🇵	Nepal	Yes	Yes
🇳🇱	Netherlands	Yes	No
🇳🇿	New Zealand	Yes	No
🇳🇮	Nicaragua	Yes	Yes
🇳🇪	Niger	No	Yes
🇳🇬	Nigeria	Yes	Yes
🇰🇵	North Korea	No	Yes
🇲🇰	North Macedonia	Yes	No
🇳🇴	Norway	Yes	No
🇴🇲	Oman	No	Yes
🇵🇰	Pakistan	No	Yes
🇵🇼	Palau	Yes	No
🇵🇦	Panama	Yes	No
🇵🇬	Papua New Guinea	Yes	Yes
🇵🇾	Paraguay	Yes	Yes
🇵🇪	Peru	Yes	Yes
🇵🇭	Philippines	Yes	Yes
🇵🇱	Poland	Yes	Yes
🇵🇹	Portugal	Yes	No
🇶🇦	Qatar	No	Yes
🇨🇬	Republic of the Congo	Yes	Yes
🇷🇴	Romania	Yes	Yes
🇷🇺	Russia	Yes	Yes
🇷🇼	Rwanda	Yes	Yes
🇰🇳	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Yes	Yes
🇱🇨	Saint Lucia	Yes	Yes
🇻🇨	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Yes	Yes
🇼🇸	Samoa	Yes	No
🇸🇲	San Marino	Yes	No
🇸🇹	São Tomé and Príncipe	Yes	Yes
🇸🇦	Saudi Arabia	No	Yes
🇸🇳	Senegal	Yes	Yes
🇷🇸	Serbia	Yes	Yes
🇸🇨	Seychelles	Yes	Yes
🇸🇱	Sierra Leone	Yes	Yes
🇸🇬	Singapore	Yes	No
🇸🇰	Slovakia	Yes	Yes
🇸🇮	Slovenia	Yes	No
🇸🇧	Solomon Islands	Yes	No
🇸🇴	Somalia	No	Yes
🇿🇦	South Africa	Yes	Yes
🇰🇷	South Korea	Yes	No
🇸🇸	South Sudan	Yes	Yes
🇪🇸	Spain	Yes	No
🇱🇰	Sri Lanka	Yes	Yes
🇸🇩	Sudan	Yes	Yes
🇸🇷	Suriname	Yes	Yes
🇸🇪	Sweden	Yes	Yes
🇨🇭	Switzerland	Yes	No
🇸🇾	Syria	No	Yes
🇹🇯	Tajikistan	Yes	Yes
🇹🇿	Tanzania	Yes	Yes
🇹🇭	Thailand	Yes	Yes
🇬🇲	The Gambia	Yes	Yes
🇹🇱	Timor-Leste	Yes	Yes
🇹🇬	Togo	Yes	Yes
🇹🇴	Tonga	Yes	No
🇹🇹	Trinidad and Tobago	Yes	No
🇹🇳	Tunisia	No	Yes
🇹🇷	Türkiye	Yes	Yes
🇹🇲	Turkmenistan	Yes	Yes
🇹🇻	Tuvalu	Yes	No
🇺🇬	Uganda	Yes	Yes
🇺🇦	Ukraine	Yes	Yes
🇦🇪	United Arab Emirates	Yes	Yes
🇬🇧	United Kingdom	Yes	No
🇺🇸	United States	Yes	No
🇺🇾	Uruguay	Yes	Yes
🇺🇿	Uzbekistan	Yes	Yes
🇻🇺	Vanuatu	Yes	Yes
🇻🇪	Venezuela	No	Yes
🇻🇳	Vietnam	Yes	Yes
🇾🇪	Yemen	No	Yes
🇿🇲	Zambia	Yes	Yes
🇿🇼	Zimbabwe	Yes	Yes

Most of the countries that do not currently recognize Israel are Muslim-majority countries. However, some Muslim-majority countries have recognized Israel, such as Egypt and Jordan, who specifically agreed to do so under peace treaties signed in 1979 and 1994 respectively.

Several conflicts have also resulted in some countries suspending relations with Israel. The 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli Wars (also called the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War, respectively) all saw countries suspend diplomatic relations, including Mali and the Maldives. In the case of Eastern Bloc countries that did so in 1967 and 1973, many resumed relations after the fall of the Soviet Union.

On the other side, despite more countries recognizing the State of Palestine over time, none of the G7 and only nine of the G20 have recognized the state. Similarly, only a minority of the EU has endorsed the declaration.

Present-Day

Israel and Palestine continue to vie for recognition in the international arena, with the former gaining recognition from a few countries including Bhutan and the UAE in 2020, and the latter from Colombia in 2018 and Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2019.

But universal recognition continues to elude both sides, with many countries awaiting a formal resolution to the conflict from the two sides.

It’s worth noting that both Israel and Palestine took steps towards recognition under the Oslo Accords, signed on September 13, 1993. The agreement saw Palestine recognize the State of Israel, put an end to the First Intifada, and allowed for limited self-government under a new Palestinian National Authority in Gaza and the West Bank. It promised to lay the groundwork for a two-state solution; a promise of peace that has yet to be realized.