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Historical map · 1880

Map of Africa in 1880

In 1880, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 38 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 25.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1880. 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.

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States and empires in Africa in 1880

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Khedivate of Egypt Wikipedia3.0 million km²3.0 million km²1866–1884
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.5 million km²2.2 million km²1305–1923
British Empire Wikipedia1.3 million km²25.2 million km²1706–1999
British Cape Colony Wikipedia975,000 km²975,000 km²1796–1884
Ottoman Tripolitania Wikipedia896,000 km²896,000 km²1840–1911
French Third Republic Wikipedia807,000 km²2.3 million km²1871–1939
French Africa Wikipedia807,000 km²807,000 km²1846–1957
Sokoto Caliphate Wikipedia796,000 km²796,000 km²1805–1904
Qajar Iran Wikipedia548,000 km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Merina Kingdom Wikipedia428,000 km²428,000 km²1792–1897
Morocco Wikipedia386,000 km²386,000 km²1670–2024
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia325,000 km²325,000 km²1824–1925
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 Wikipedia155,000 km²155,000 km²1702–1897
Emirate of Jabal Shammar Wikipedia136,000 km²136,000 km²1825–1921
Sultanate of Hobyo Wikipedia135,000 km²135,000 km²1880–1894
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
Majeerteen Sultanate Wikipedia92,000 km²92,000 km²1856–1889
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia90,000 km²990,000 km²1516–2024
Spanish Empire Wikipedia90,000 km²990,000 km²1516–1931
Beylik of Tunis Wikipedia88,000 km²88,000 km²1706–1884
Colony of Natal (British)36,000 km²36,000 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
British Gold Coast Wikipedia16,000 km²16,000 km²1873–1960
United Kingdom Wikipedia15,000 km²355,000 km²1709–2024
Trucial States Wikipedia13,000 km²74,000 km²1820–1894
Qatar Wikipedia7,870 km²13,000 km²1820–2024
German Africa Wikipedia1,910 km²1,910 km²1871–1918
House of Khalifa Wikipedia880 km²880 km²1783–1894

"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 1871

New on the map: Sultanate of Hobyo, British Gold Coast.

Gone from the map: Sultanate of Darfur, South African Republic, Imamate of Yemen, Dutch Gold Coast, Kuwait.

What comes next: 1900

Appear by 1900: British Africa, Belgian Congo, Italian Africa, Swaziland, Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, Cretan State.

Gone by 1900: Khedivate of Egypt, British Cape Colony, Merina Kingdom, Emirate of Nejd, Bornu Empire, Ashanti Empire, Sultanate of Hobyo, Orange Free State, Kingdom of Lunda, Majeerteen Sultanate, Beylik of Tunis, Sultanate of Zanzibar, Zululand, Trucial States, Qatar, House of Khalifa.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 1880?

The map data draws 38 states and other polities in Africa in 1880. The largest by land were Khedivate of Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, the British Cape Colony and Ottoman Tripolitania.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1880?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 25.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1880 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1880, 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 1880