Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1776

Map of Africa in 1776

In 1776, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 34 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 Zand Dynasty. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 20.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1776. 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 1776 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1776

States and empires in Africa in 1776

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.9 million km²2.9 million km²1305–1923
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia629,000 km²629,000 km²1507–1821
Zand Dynasty Wikipedia555,000 km²1.6 million km²1748–1793
Morocco Wikipedia388,000 km²388,000 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
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia241,000 km²241,000 km²1272–1935
Regency of Algiers Wikipedia211,000 km²211,000 km²1706–1845
Dutch Republic Wikipedia163,000 km²845,000 km²1582–1795
Dutch Cape Colony Wikipedia157,000 km²157,000 km²1653–1795
Qasimids Wikipedia154,000 km²154,000 km²1636–1802
Ashanti Empire Wikipedia154,000 km²154,000 km²1702–1897
Kingdom of Lunda Wikipedia113,000 km²113,000 km²1709–1889
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia105,000 km²13.3 million km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia95,000 km²593,000 km²1516–2024
Oyo Empire Wikipedia88,000 km²88,000 km²1609–1835
Spanish Empire Wikipedia87,000 km²20.2 million km²1516–1931
Karamanli Dynasty Wikipedia86,000 km²86,000 km²1713–1839
Beylik of Tunis Wikipedia79,000 km²79,000 km²1706–1884
Emirate of Diriyah Wikipedia64,000 km²64,000 km²1744–1819
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia29,000 km²121,000 km²1744–2024
Bamana Empire Wikipedia24,000 km²24,000 km²1713–1821
Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic) Wikipedia20,000 km²92,000 km²1762–1814
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia15,000 km²96,000 km²1147–1911
Dutch Gold Coast Wikipedia6,140 km²6,140 km²1653–1872
Kingdom of France Wikipedia5,830 km²1.1 million km²990–1848
Kuwait Wikipedia5,510 km²5,510 km²1757–2024
British Empire Wikipedia4,250 km²3.2 million km²1706–1999
French India Wikipedia3,300 km²10,000 km²1673–1847
New France Wikipedia2,530 km²91,000 km²1609–1791
Republic of Venice Wikipedia1,240 km²45,000 km²705–1796
Bahrain Wikipedia880 km²880 km²1757–2024
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 1750

New on the map: Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic), Kuwait, Bahrain.

Gone from the map: Afsharid Iran.

What comes next: 1789

Appear by 1789: Qajar Iran, Khanates of the Caucasus, Freetown Colony, House of Khalifa.

Gone by 1789: Bahrain.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 1776?

The map data draws 34 states and other polities in Africa in 1776. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, the Funj Sultanate, the Zand Dynasty, Morocco and the Bornu Empire.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1776?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 20.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1776 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1776, 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 1776