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Historical map · 1750

Map of Africa in 1750

In 1750, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 32 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 14.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1750. 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 1750 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1750

States and empires in Africa in 1750

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.9 million km²2.9 million km²1305–1923
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia629,000 km²629,000 km²1507–1821
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia590,000 km²590,000 km²1272–1935
Afsharid Iran Wikipedia446,000 km²1.7 million km²1734–1756
Morocco Wikipedia386,000 km²386,000 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
Regency of Algiers Wikipedia211,000 km²211,000 km²1706–1845
Ashanti Empire Wikipedia155,000 km²155,000 km²1702–1897
Qasimids Wikipedia154,000 km²154,000 km²1636–1802
Kingdom of Lunda Wikipedia113,000 km²113,000 km²1709–1889
Zand Dynasty Wikipedia108,000 km²574,000 km²1748–1793
Spanish Empire Wikipedia107,000 km²14.8 million km²1516–1931
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia95,000 km²593,000 km²1516–2024
Karamanli Dynasty Wikipedia86,000 km²86,000 km²1713–1839
Beylik of Tunis Wikipedia79,000 km²79,000 km²1706–1884
Dutch Republic Wikipedia64,000 km²750,000 km²1582–1795
Dutch Cape Colony Wikipedia58,000 km²58,000 km²1653–1795
Oyo Empire Wikipedia49,000 km²49,000 km²1609–1835
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia48,000 km²3.5 million km²1502–1910
Bamana Empire Wikipedia35,000 km²35,000 km²1713–1821
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia29,000 km²105,000 km²1744–2024
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia15,000 km²96,000 km²1147–1911
Kingdom of France Wikipedia6,760 km²1.3 million km²990–1848
Dutch Gold Coast Wikipedia6,140 km²6,140 km²1653–1872
Emirate of Diriyah Wikipedia5,610 km²5,610 km²1744–1819
New France Wikipedia3,460 km²247,000 km²1609–1791
British Empire Wikipedia3,320 km²1.8 million km²1706–1999
French India Wikipedia3,300 km²10,000 km²1673–1847
Republic of Venice Wikipedia1,240 km²45,000 km²705–1796
Danish Gold Coast Wikipedia720 km²720 km²1659–1852

"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 1700

New on the map: 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 from the map: Safavid Dynasty, Yarubid dynasty, Kingdom of England, English Colonial Empire, Brandenburg-Prussia, Saadi Sultanate.

What comes next: 1776

Appear by 1776: Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic), Kuwait, Bahrain.

Gone by 1776: Afsharid Iran.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 1750?

The map data draws 32 states and other polities in Africa in 1750. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, the Funj Sultanate, the Ethiopian Empire, Afsharid Iran and Morocco.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1750?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 14.8 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1750 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1750, 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 1750