Western Kurdistan (, Rojavayê Kurdistanê), known simply as Rojava ("the West"), is a de facto autonomous region in northern Syria, also known as Syrian Kurdistan. The region gained its autonomy in November 2013 as part of the ongoing Rojava Revolution, establishing a society based on principles of direct democracy, gender equality, and sustainability. Rojava consists of the four cantons of (from east to west) Jazira, Tell Abyad, Kobani, and Afrin. Rojava is unrecognized as autonomous by the government of Syria and is a participant in the Syrian Civil War.