Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1550

Map of Africa in 1550

In 1550, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 19 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Ottoman Empire, the Funj Sultanate and the Songhai Empire. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 9.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1550. Zoom in, move the year slider to watch the borders change, or ask the history guide a question and it draws the answer on the map.

OPEN 1550 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1550

States and empires in Africa in 1550

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.2 million km²3.3 million km²1305–1923
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia632,000 km²632,000 km²1507–1821
Songhai Empire Wikipedia631,000 km²631,000 km²1463–1608
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia581,000 km²2.4 million km²1502–1737
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia529,000 km²529,000 km²1272–1935
Wattasid dynasty Wikipedia385,000 km²385,000 km²1468–1555
Mali Empire Wikipedia347,000 km²347,000 km²1236–1611
Hafsid Dynasty Wikipedia222,000 km²222,000 km²1236–1571
Bornu Empire Wikipedia202,000 km²202,000 km²1072–1894
Kingdom of Kongo Wikipedia132,000 km²132,000 km²1440–1669
Zayyanid dynasty Wikipedia125,000 km²125,000 km²1236–1555
Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia109,000 km²5.2 million km²1519–1563
Spanish Empire Wikipedia109,000 km²9.2 million km²1516–1931
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia95,000 km²970,000 km²1516–2024
Sultanate of Harar Wikipedia88,000 km²88,000 km²1415–1578
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia87,000 km²602,000 km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia65,000 km²173,000 km²1147–1911
Portuguese Africa Wikipedia23,000 km²29,000 km²1507–1581
Republic of Venice Wikipedia20,000 km²64,000 km²705–1796

"In the data" gives the first and last year the dataset draws the state under this identity; states often existed earlier or later in another form.

What changed since 1500

New on the map: Funj Sultanate, Safavid Dynasty, Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy, Spanish Empire, Kingdom of Spain, Portuguese Empire, Portuguese Africa.

Gone from the map: Mamluk Sultanate, Aq Qoyunlu, Tahirid Sultanate, Makuria Kingdom, Alodia, Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile, Crown of Castile, Bahrani Dynasty, Ramadanid Emirate, Crown of Aragon, Beylik of Dulkadir, Timurid Empire, Republic of Genoa.

What comes next: 1600

Appear by 1600: Saadi Sultanate, Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Iberian Union.

Gone by 1600: Songhai Empire, Wattasid dynasty, Hafsid Dynasty, Zayyanid dynasty, Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy, Kingdom of Spain, Sultanate of Harar, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese Africa.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 1550?

The map data draws 19 states and other polities in Africa in 1550. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, the Funj Sultanate, the Songhai Empire, the Safavid Dynasty and the Ethiopian Empire.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1550?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 9.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1550 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1550, zoom into any region, move through the years, and ask the history guide questions: it answers in plain words and draws places, armies and borders on the map.

About these borders

The borders come from Cliopatria (v0.2.1, Seshat Global History Databank, CC BY 4.0), the dataset behind our interactive map, with our audited name and border corrections. It records each state's territory year by year from 3400 BC to 2024. Borders before modern surveys are reconstructions: the data draws a state where it held control, and frontier zones, nomadic realms and loose overlordships are approximate. Areas are measured on an equal-area projection. Read how we make our maps.

Africa in other years

Other regions in 1550