What is "rojava"

Rojava (, "the West"), also known as Western Kurdistan or Syrian Kurdistan, is a de facto autonomous region originating in three self-governing cantons in northern Syria. Rojava is formed of most of al-Hasakah Governorate, northern parts of Al-Raqqah Governorate and northern parts of Aleppo Governorate.

The region gained its autonomy in November 2013, as part of the ongoing Rojava conflict, establishing a society based on principles of direct democracy, gender equality, and sustainability. Rojava consists of the three official cantons of (from east to west) Jazira, Kobani, and Afrin, and the unofficial Shahba region. It is unrecognized as autonomous by the government of Syria and is a participant in the Syrian Civil War. On 16 March 2016, the de facto administration of Rojava declared the establishment of a federal system of government as the Federation of Northern Syria – Rojava .

In the Kurdish national narrative, Rojava is one of the four parts of a Greater Kurdistan, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey ( Northern Kurdistan), northern Iraq ( Southern Kurdistan), and northwestern Iran ( Eastern Kurdistan). However, Rojavan government and society is polyethnic.