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Historical map · 1815

Map of Africa in 1815

In 1815, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 37 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Ottoman Empire, the Emirate of Diriyah and the Funj Sultanate. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 17.6 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1815. 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 1815 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1815
Atlas map: Dessalines and the Making of Haiti (1807)
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States and empires in Africa in 1815

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.3 million km²2.2 million km²1305–1923
Emirate of Diriyah Wikipedia930,000 km²968,000 km²1744–1819
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia629,000 km²629,000 km²1507–1821
Sokoto Caliphate Wikipedia617,000 km²617,000 km²1805–1904
Muhammad Ali dynasty Wikipedia606,000 km²606,000 km²1805–1865
Qajar Iran Wikipedia548,000 km²1.7 million km²1788–1923
Morocco Wikipedia388,000 km²388,000 km²1670–2024
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia296,000 km²296,000 km²1609–1876
Company rule in India (British East India Company)284,000 km²3.4 million km²1811–1819
British Empire Wikipedia284,000 km²6.2 million km²1706–1999
British Cape Colony Wikipedia283,000 km²283,000 km²1796–1884
Wadai Empire Wikipedia281,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia241,000 km²241,000 km²1272–1935
Bornu Empire Wikipedia229,000 km²229,000 km²1072–1894
Regency of Algiers Wikipedia212,000 km²212,000 km²1706–1845
Ashanti Empire Wikipedia154,000 km²154,000 km²1702–1897
Merina Kingdom Wikipedia113,000 km²113,000 km²1792–1897
Kingdom of Lunda Wikipedia113,000 km²113,000 km²1709–1889
Bamana Empire Wikipedia105,000 km²105,000 km²1713–1821
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia102,000 km²15.8 million km²1502–1910
Imamate of Yemen Wikipedia96,000 km²96,000 km²1814–1872
Spanish Empire Wikipedia89,000 km²17.6 million km²1516–1931
Oyo Empire Wikipedia88,000 km²88,000 km²1609–1835
Beylik of Tunis Wikipedia88,000 km²88,000 km²1706–1884
Karamanli Dynasty Wikipedia76,000 km²76,000 km²1713–1839
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia75,000 km²495,000 km²1516–2024
Omani East Africa (Swahili coast)65,000 km²65,000 km²1814–1855
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Wikipedia20,000 km²91,000 km²1815–1860
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia15,000 km²96,000 km²1147–1911
Dutch Gold Coast Wikipedia9,120 km²9,120 km²1653–1872
Kuwait Wikipedia5,430 km²5,430 km²1757–2024
French India Wikipedia3,300 km²3,300 km²1673–1847
Kingdom of France (Bourbon Restoration) Wikipedia2,530 km²1.3 million km²990–1848
Septinsular Republic Wikipedia1,240 km²3,000 km²1800–1819
House of Khalifa Wikipedia880 km²880 km²1783–1894
Danish Gold Coast Wikipedia720 km²720 km²1659–1852
United Kingdom Wikipedia650 km²342,000 km²1709–2024

"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 1800

New on the map: Sokoto Caliphate, Muhammad Ali dynasty, Company rule in India (British East India Company), Imamate of Yemen, Omani East Africa (Swahili coast), Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Kingdom of France (Bourbon Restoration), House of Khalifa.

Gone from the map: Qasimids, French Consulate, Sultanate of Oman, Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic).

What comes next: 1830

Appear by 1830: Emirate of Nejd, Massina Empire, United States of America, Zululand, Greece, Qatar, Trucial States, French Algeria.

Gone by 1830: Emirate of Diriyah, Funj Sultanate, Company rule in India (British East India Company), Bamana Empire, Septinsular Republic.

Read the history of 1815

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 1815?

The map data draws 37 states and other polities in Africa in 1815. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, the Emirate of Diriyah, the Funj Sultanate, the Sokoto Caliphate and Muhammad Ali dynasty.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1815?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 17.6 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1815 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1815, 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 1815