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Historical map · 1950

Map of Africa in 1950

In 1950, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 25 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.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1950. 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 1950 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1950
Atlas map: Two Shocks of 1949 (Oct 1949)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE COLD WAR, CHAPTER 3: TWO SHOCKS OF 1949 (OCT 1949)

States and empires in Africa in 1950

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
French Africa Wikipedia11.7 million km²11.7 million km²1846–1957
French Fourth Republic Wikipedia11.7 million km²13.8 million km²1945–1957
British Empire Wikipedia9.5 million km²11.3 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia7.9 million km²8.0 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
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia548,000 km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Francoist Spain Wikipedia434,000 km²855,000 km²1939–1975
Kingdom of Iraq Wikipedia434,000 km²434,000 km²1932–1957
United Kingdom Wikipedia361,000 km²692,000 km²1709–2024
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia210,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Second Syrian Republic Wikipedia188,000 km²188,000 km²1946–1957
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Wikipedia104,000 km²104,000 km²1947–2024
Republic of Liberia Wikipedia100,000 km²100,000 km²1848–2024
Kingdom of Greece Wikipedia28,000 km²122,000 km²1945–1966
State of Israel Wikipedia22,000 km²22,000 km²1948–2024
Italian Republic Wikipedia20,000 km²288,000 km²1946–2024
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia12,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
Lebanon9,840 km²9,840 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 1945

New on the map: Kingdom of Iraq, Second Syrian Republic, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, State of Israel, Italian Republic.

Gone from the map: French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Kingdom of Italy.

What comes next: 1960

Appear by 1960: French Fifth Republic, Republic of Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kingdom of Libya, Mali Federation, United Arab Republic, Somali Republic, Madagascar, Iraqi Republic, Republic of Cameroon, Morocco, Guinea, Ghana, Republic of Tunisia, Togo.

Gone by 1960: French Africa, French Fourth Republic, Kingdom of Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, Second Syrian Republic.

Read the history of 1950

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 1950?

The map data draws 25 states and other polities in Africa in 1950. 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 1950?

Of the states on this map, the French Fourth Republic held the most land in total: about 13.8 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1950 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1950, 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 1950