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Historical map · 1700

Map of Africa in 1700

In 1700, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 27 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 14.5 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1700. 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 1700 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1700

States and empires in Africa in 1700

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.4 million km²3.4 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
Morocco Wikipedia385,000 km²385,000 km²1670–2024
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 Wikipedia166,000 km²166,000 km²1636–1802
Spanish Empire Wikipedia107,000 km²14.5 million km²1516–1931
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia95,000 km²657,000 km²1516–2024
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia46,000 km²2.4 million km²1502–1910
Oyo Empire Wikipedia44,000 km²44,000 km²1609–1835
Dutch Republic Wikipedia30,000 km²602,000 km²1582–1795
Dutch Cape Colony Wikipedia29,000 km²29,000 km²1653–1795
Yarubid dynasty Wikipedia29,000 km²121,000 km²1626–1743
Republic of Venice Wikipedia18,000 km²65,000 km²705–1796
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia15,000 km²101,000 km²1147–1911
French India Wikipedia14,000 km²18,000 km²1673–1847
Kingdom of France Wikipedia6,760 km²1.2 million km²990–1848
Dutch Gold Coast Wikipedia4,240 km²4,240 km²1653–1872
New France Wikipedia3,460 km²141,000 km²1609–1791
Kingdom of England Wikipedia3,380 km²902,000 km²936–1708
English Colonial Empire Wikipedia3,380 km²222,000 km²1609–1779
Brandenburg-Prussia Wikipedia1,670 km²124,000 km²1619–1720
Danish Gold Coast Wikipedia980 km²980 km²1659–1852
Saadi Sultanate Wikipedia650 km²650 km²1556–1740

"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 1648

New on the map: Morocco, Dutch Cape Colony, Yarubid dynasty, French India, Dutch Gold Coast, Brandenburg-Prussia, Danish Gold Coast.

Gone from the map: Kingdom of Kongo.

What comes next: 1750

Appear by 1750: Afsharid Iran, Regency of Algiers, Ashanti Empire, Kingdom of Lunda, Zand Dynasty, Karamanli Dynasty, Beylik of Tunis, Bamana Empire, Sultanate of Oman, Emirate of Diriyah, British Empire.

Gone by 1750: Safavid Dynasty, Yarubid dynasty, Kingdom of England, English Colonial Empire, Brandenburg-Prussia, Saadi Sultanate.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 1700?

The map data draws 27 states and other polities in Africa in 1700. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, the Funj Sultanate, the Ethiopian Empire, the Safavid Dynasty and Morocco.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1700?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 14.5 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1700 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1700, 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 1700