2021-05-31 (2.0)
* Updated CShapes until December 31, 2019.
* Backdated Cshapes to January 1st, 1886 (previously January 1st 1946).
* Added coding of dependent territories (previously only independent states).
* Split dataset into separate COW and GW-based version
* Collapsed start/end-year, -month and -day into single column string
* Added variables for dependency status and owner, as well as variable to indicate periods with undefined boundaries (example: Ethiopia before boundary treaty with neighboring colonial powers in May 1897)


2016-11-30 (0.6)
* Updated CShapes until June 30, 2016.
* The sequence of polygons for the Soviet Union now uses the correct GW start
  and end dates. This used to be an inconsistency in all previous versions of the 
  dataset (thanks to Karim Bahgat for helping us create the new polygons). 
* Fixed wrong GW date of Namibia's secession from South Africa
* Set Indonesia's GW start date to Jan 1, 1946 in line with coding conventions.
* Fixed wrong GW end dates for Vietnam polygons in 1975.
* Fixed wrong GW end date for China before separation of Taiwan in 1949.
* Fixed wrong GW end date for Pakistan before separation of Bangladesh 
  in 1971.
* Fixed wrong capital name and location for the Mali Federation.
* Dropped the Mali Federation from the GW list of states.
* Fixed the wrong start/end dates for the transition from the Mali Federation
  to Mali proper (thanks to Karim Bahgat for reporting all these issues).

2015-10-30 (0.5-1)
* Updated CShapes until June 30, 2015
* Removed ISO codes for Kosovo since no official code has
  been assigned. 

2013-05-05 (0.4-2)
* Fixed ISO codes for Kosovo (thanks to Luc Girardin).
* Adapted CShapes to the new version of the Gleditsch & Ward
  country list (changes made in March 2013). This version fixes 
  the inconsistency with the G&W list introduced in CShapes 
  version 0.2-5 (Macedonia).

2012-01-07 (0.4-1)
* Re-wrote the package to eliminate Java dependencies, which 
  causes performance issues on some systems.
* Updated GIS data to 2012: Added South Sudan, changed
  boundaries of Sudan. Note: When introducing the new ISOCODE for 
  South Sudan (728), the ISO also changed the ISOCODE for
  Sudan, from 736 to 729. We use this new code as of July 9, 2011.

2012-07-26 (0.3-2)
* Changed package maintainer in accordance with CRAN
  requirements.
* Fixed inverted ISO two- and three-letter codes for Kosovo.

2011-06-26 (0.3-1)
* Added a distlist function that returns distances
  in a dyadic format rather than a matrix.
* Dropped United Arab Republic, which is not coded in 
  G&W. The corresponding polygons have GWCODE=-1 and 
  are dropped in all computations based on G&W.

2011-05-03 (0.2-9)
* Coded Western Sahara entirely as part of Morocco
  as of August 5, 1979 (Thanks to Nils-Christian Bormann)

2011-03-21 (0.2-8)
* Fixed incorrect location of Mali's capital.
  (Thanks to Sebastian Schutte)

2010-11-04 (0.2-7)
* Fixed GDR coding error (Buesingen exclave). (Thanks to
  Dan Reiter). Small changes to Java code.

2010-10-10 (0.2-6)
* Fixed wrong start date for East Timor. Deleted duplicate
  polygon for Yugoslavia. (Thanks to Andreas Tollefsen)

2010-09-15 (0.2-5)
* Fixed several unintended polygon overlaps in the
  Gleditsch & Ward coding of cshapes (for Yugoslavia 
  and its successor states). Note: in order to preserve
  the order of polygons (which were coded according to the 
  COW system) we set the G&W start date for Macedonia to the 
  COW date of April 8, 1993. (Thanks to Andreas Tollefsen)

2010-06-09 (0.2-4)
* Fixed incorrect longitude of Tonga's capital.
  (Thanks to Evan McCulla)

2010-02-24 (0.2-3)
* Fixed missing argument in cshp() function.
* Removed special characters from country names.

2010-01-26 (0.2-2)
* Recompiled for Java version 1.5.

2010-01-18 (0.2-1)
* Fixed wrong ISO codes of Bahrain.
* Added 'date' parameter to cshp() function. 

2010-01-05 (0.1-4)
* Excluded computation of example.

2009-12-26 (0.1-3)
* Fixed minor issue to pass R CMD check.

2009-11-15 (0.1-2)
* Added GIS metadata in file inst/shp/cshapes.shp.xml.
* Updated package documentation.

2009-08-13 (0.1-1)
* First public release.