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Historical map · 1939

Map of Africa in 1939

In 1939, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 23 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the French Third Republic, the French Africa and the British Empire. The British Empire reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 17.1 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1939. 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 1939 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1939
Atlas map: China: The War Nobody Declared (1938)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE ROAD TO WAR, CHAPTER 6: CHINA: THE WAR NOBODY DECLARED (1938)

States and empires in Africa in 1939

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
French Third Republic Wikipedia11.3 million km²13.4 million km²1871–1939
French Africa Wikipedia11.1 million km²11.1 million km²1846–1957
British Empire Wikipedia8.0 million km²17.1 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia6.3 million km²6.3 million km²1885–1960
Italian Africa Wikipedia3.3 million km²3.3 million km²1890–1943
Belgian Congo Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1890–1962
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
South Africa Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1932–2024
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.8 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
British Gold Coast Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1873–1960
Kingdom of Egypt Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1922–1952
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia548,000 km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
United Kingdom Wikipedia487,000 km²818,000 km²1709–2024
Francoist Spain Wikipedia434,000 km²854,000 km²1939–1975
Kingdom of Iraq Wikipedia434,000 km²434,000 km²1932–1957
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia210,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia196,000 km²196,000 km²1920–1945
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Republic of Liberia Wikipedia100,000 km²100,000 km²1848–2024
Greece Wikipedia25,000 km²118,000 km²1822–1940
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia22,000 km²323,000 km²587–1946
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia12,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
Nazi Germany Wikipedia2,000 km²697,000 km²1933–1944

"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 1938

New on the map: Francoist Spain.

Gone from the map: Second Spanish Republic, Spanish Nationalists.

What comes next: 1940

Appear by 1940: Vichy France, Free French.

Gone by 1940: French Third Republic.

Read the history of 1939

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 1939?

The map data draws 23 states and other polities in Africa in 1939. The largest by land were the French Third Republic, the French Africa, the British Empire, the British Africa and the Italian Africa.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1939?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 17.1 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1939 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1939, 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 1939