Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1648

Map of Africa in 1648

In 1648, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 21 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 Ethiopian Empire. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 13.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1648. 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 1648 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1648

States and empires in Africa in 1648

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.4 million km²3.5 million km²1305–1923
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia629,000 km²629,000 km²1507–1821
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia590,000 km²590,000 km²1272–1935
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia549,000 km²2.6 million km²1502–1737
Saadi Sultanate Wikipedia385,000 km²385,000 km²1556–1740
Bornu Empire Wikipedia340,000 km²340,000 km²1072–1894
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia296,000 km²296,000 km²1609–1876
Wadai Empire Wikipedia281,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Qasimids Wikipedia214,000 km²214,000 km²1636–1802
Kingdom of Kongo Wikipedia132,000 km²132,000 km²1440–1669
Spanish Empire Wikipedia107,000 km²13.0 million km²1516–1931
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia95,000 km²676,000 km²1516–2024
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia51,000 km²2.1 million km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia15,000 km²101,000 km²1147–1911
Dutch Republic Wikipedia7,120 km²263,000 km²1582–1795
Oyo Empire Wikipedia6,060 km²6,060 km²1609–1835
Republic of Venice Wikipedia2,410 km²45,000 km²705–1796
New France Wikipedia1,750 km²32,000 km²1609–1791
Kingdom of France Wikipedia1,750 km²1.0 million km²990–1848
Kingdom of England Wikipedia1,580 km²93,000 km²936–1708
English Colonial Empire Wikipedia1,580 km²53,000 km²1609–1779

"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 1600

New on the map: Sultanate of Darfur, Wadai Empire, Qasimids, Kingdom of Spain, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Dutch Republic, Oyo Empire, New France, Kingdom of France, Kingdom of England, English Colonial Empire.

Gone from the map: Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Mali Empire, Iberian Union.

What comes next: 1700

Appear by 1700: Morocco, Dutch Cape Colony, Yarubid dynasty, French India, Dutch Gold Coast, Brandenburg-Prussia, Danish Gold Coast.

Gone by 1700: Kingdom of Kongo.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 1648?

The map data draws 21 states and other polities in Africa in 1648. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, the Funj Sultanate, the Ethiopian Empire, the Safavid Dynasty and the Saadi Sultanate.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1648?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 13.0 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1648 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1648, 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 1648