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Historical map · 1945

Map of Africa in 1945

In 1945, 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 Africa, the French Fourth Republic and the British Empire. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 22.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1945. 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 1945 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1945
Atlas map: How Thin the Empire Really Was (Jan 1945)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE DECOLONIZATION OF AFRICA, CHAPTER 1: HOW THIN THE EMPIRE REALLY WAS (JAN 1945)

States and empires in Africa in 1945

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
French Africa Wikipedia11.7 million km²11.7 million km²1846–1957
French Fourth Republic Wikipedia11.7 million km²13.0 million km²1945–1957
British Empire Wikipedia10.4 million km²18.5 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia8.8 million km²8.8 million km²1885–1960
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
Ethiopia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1942–2024
Kingdom of Egypt Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1922–1952
Francoist Spain Wikipedia434,000 km²855,000 km²1939–1975
United Kingdom Wikipedia347,000 km²678,000 km²1709–2024
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia210,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia187,000 km²187,000 km²1920–1945
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia159,000 km²1.2 million km²1924–1978
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia104,000 km²22.0 million km²1922–1991
Republic of Liberia Wikipedia100,000 km²100,000 km²1848–2024
Kingdom of Greece Wikipedia28,000 km²121,000 km²1945–1966
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia20,000 km²289,000 km²587–1946
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia12,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
Lebanon9,810 km²9,810 km²1944–2024

"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 1942

New on the map: French Fourth Republic, Kingdom of Greece, Lebanon.

Gone from the map: Vichy France, Free French, Italian Africa, Kingdom of Iraq, Nazi Germany.

What comes next: 1950

Appear by 1950: Kingdom of Iraq, Second Syrian Republic, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, State of Israel, Italian Republic.

Gone by 1950: French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Kingdom of Italy.

Read the history of 1945

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 1945?

The map data draws 23 states and other polities in Africa in 1945. The largest by land were the French Africa, the French Fourth Republic, the British Empire, the British Africa and Belgian Congo.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1945?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 22.0 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1945 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1945, 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 1945