Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), also called Rojava, is a self-governing autonomous entity in northeastern Syria that is not officially recognized by any government in the world.^[1] It includes separate areas called cantons in Afrin, Jazira, Euphrates, Raqqa, Tabqa, Manbij, and Deir Ez-Zor.^[1]

Areas controlled by the DAANES in October 2016

History

The region got self-rule in 2012 during the Syrian civil war. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the armed wing of DAANES, has also been involved in the war.^[1][2][3]

Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria Rêveberiya Xweseriya Demokratîk a Herêma Bakur û Rojhilatê Sûriyê (Kurdish) الإدارة الذاتية الديمقراطية لإقليم شمال وشرق سوريا (Arabic) ܡܕܒܪܢܘܬ݂ܳܐ ܝܬ݂ܝܬܳܐ ܕܝܡܩܪܐܛܝܬܳܐ ܠܩܠܝܡܳܐ ܕܓܪܒܝܳܐ ܘ ܡܕܢܚܳܐ ܕܣܘܪܝܰܐ (Classical Syriac) Kuzey ve Doğu Suriye Demokratik Özerk Yönetimi Bölgesi (Turkish)
Flag Coat of arms
Map of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
Capital	Ayn Issa [4][5]
Largest city	Raqqa
Official languages	All regions: Kurdish (Kurmanji) Arabic In the Jazira Region: Syriac In the Manbij Region: Turkish Adyghe
Area
• Total	50,000[6] km2 (19,000 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	4,600,000≈ [7]

The region is and was not officially recognized as an independent entity by Assad's regime or any other national governments, except for the Parliament of Catalonia in Spain.^[8][9][10] It has widespread support for its democratic, sustainable, equal, and feminist laws.^[11]

Northeastern Syria is home to diverse ethnic groups including the Kurds, Arabs and Assyrians, alongside smaller communities of Turkmen, Armenians, Circassians, Chechens, and Yazidis.^[source?]

Since 2016, Turkey and Turkish-backed forces have taken over parts of northwestern Syria from the SDF. DAANES and its armed wing SDF have said they will protect all areas under their control from any attacks.^[12]

Geography

The region is located west of the Tigris, east of the Euphrates, and south of the Turkish border. It borders Iraq to the southeast and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to the northeast. The area is mostly flat with some low hills and a few mountains, including Mount Abdulaziz and part of the Sinjar Mountain Range.^{[13][better source needed]} It includes parts of the al-Hasakah, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Aleppo governorates in Syria.^{[7][better source needed]}