According to the Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone (GDELT) website, an estimated 250 million incidents have occurred since 1979, ranging from protests and violence, to change in military or police attitudes.

The dots spread across North Africa in 2011, for example, hint to the Arab Spring protests taking place at the time in that region. In a similar manner the cluster of dots concentrated in the Middle East, more precisely in Syria, point to the ongoing conflict in that country.

For the interactive map, please visit: Foreign Policy: Mapped: Every Protest on the Planet Since 1979