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Historical map · 1871

Map of Africa in 1871

In 1871, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 41 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were Khedivate of Egypt, the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire. The British Empire reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 22.3 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1871. 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 1871 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1871

States and empires in Africa in 1871

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Khedivate of Egypt Wikipedia1.8 million km²1.8 million km²1866–1884
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.2 million km²2.1 million km²1305–1923
British Empire Wikipedia987,000 km²22.3 million km²1706–1999
Ottoman Tripolitania Wikipedia896,000 km²896,000 km²1840–1911
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia807,000 km²819,000 km²1824–1925
Sokoto Caliphate Wikipedia796,000 km²796,000 km²1805–1904
British Cape Colony Wikipedia659,000 km²659,000 km²1796–1884
Qajar Iran Wikipedia548,000 km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
French Third Republic Wikipedia528,000 km²1.8 million km²1871–1939
French Africa Wikipedia528,000 km²528,000 km²1846–1957
Merina Kingdom Wikipedia428,000 km²428,000 km²1792–1897
Morocco Wikipedia386,000 km²386,000 km²1670–2024
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia295,000 km²295,000 km²1609–1876
South African Republic Wikipedia295,000 km²295,000 km²1856–1899
Wadai Empire Wikipedia281,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia241,000 km²241,000 km²1272–1935
Bornu Empire Wikipedia228,000 km²228,000 km²1072–1894
Ashanti Empire Wikipedia154,000 km²154,000 km²1702–1897
Orange Free State Wikipedia133,000 km²133,000 km²1856–1899
Kingdom of Lunda Wikipedia110,000 km²110,000 km²1709–1889
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia106,000 km²194,000 km²1147–1911
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia106,000 km²242,000 km²1502–1910
Republic of Liberia Wikipedia102,000 km²102,000 km²1848–2024
Imamate of Yemen Wikipedia95,000 km²95,000 km²1814–1872
Majeerteen Sultanate Wikipedia92,000 km²92,000 km²1856–1889
Spanish Empire Wikipedia90,000 km²1.6 million km²1516–1931
Beylik of Tunis Wikipedia88,000 km²88,000 km²1706–1884
Emirate of Jabal Shammar Wikipedia84,000 km²84,000 km²1825–1921
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia75,000 km²495,000 km²1516–2024
Colony of Natal (British)37,000 km²37,000 km²1844–1910
Sultanate of Zanzibar Wikipedia29,000 km²29,000 km²1856–1966
Zululand Wikipedia26,000 km²26,000 km²1820–1897
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia20,000 km²274,000 km²587–1946
Greece Wikipedia19,000 km²48,000 km²1822–1940
Dutch Gold Coast Wikipedia16,000 km²16,000 km²1653–1872
Trucial States Wikipedia13,000 km²72,000 km²1820–1894
Qatar Wikipedia7,870 km²13,000 km²1820–2024
Kuwait Wikipedia5,510 km²5,510 km²1757–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia3,770 km²344,000 km²1709–2024
German Africa Wikipedia1,910 km²1,910 km²1871–1918

Also on the map: House of Khalifa.

"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 1850

New on the map: Khedivate of Egypt, French Third Republic, South African Republic, Orange Free State, Majeerteen Sultanate, Emirate of Jabal Shammar, Sultanate of Zanzibar, Kingdom of Italy, German Africa.

Gone from the map: Muhammad Ali dynasty, French Second Republic, Omani East Africa (Swahili coast), Massina Empire, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Danish Gold Coast.

What comes next: 1880

Appear by 1880: Sultanate of Hobyo, British Gold Coast.

Gone by 1880: Sultanate of Darfur, South African Republic, Imamate of Yemen, Dutch Gold Coast, Kuwait.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 1871?

The map data draws 41 states and other polities in Africa in 1871. The largest by land were Khedivate of Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, Ottoman Tripolitania and the Emirate of Nejd.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1871?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 22.3 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1871 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1871, 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 1871