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Historical map · 1960

Map of Africa in 1960

In 1960, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 35 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the French Fifth Republic, the British Empire and the British Africa.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1960. 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 1960 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1960
Atlas map: Algeria — The Exception (May 1960)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE DECOLONIZATION OF AFRICA, CHAPTER 4: ALGERIA — THE EXCEPTION (MAY 1960)

States and empires in Africa in 1960

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
French Fifth Republic Wikipedia7.8 million km²8.5 million km²1958–2024
British Empire Wikipedia5.0 million km²6.5 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia3.6 million km²3.6 million km²1885–1960
Republic of Sudan Wikipedia2.5 million km²2.5 million km²1956–2024
Democratic Republic of the Congo Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1960–2024
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
Kingdom of Libya Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1953–1968
Mali Federation Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1960
Ethiopia Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1942–2024
United Arab Republic Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1958–1972
British Gold Coast Wikipedia958,000 km²958,000 km²1873–1960
Somali Republic Wikipedia649,000 km²649,000 km²1960–2024
Madagascar Wikipedia618,000 km²618,000 km²1960–2024
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia548,000 km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Iraqi Republic Wikipedia434,000 km²434,000 km²1959–2024
Republic of Cameroon Wikipedia426,000 km²426,000 km²1960–2024
Morocco Wikipedia406,000 km²406,000 km²1670–2024
Francoist Spain Wikipedia394,000 km²814,000 km²1939–1975
United Kingdom Wikipedia360,000 km²692,000 km²1709–2024
Guinea247,000 km²247,000 km²1960–2024
Ghana Wikipedia242,000 km²242,000 km²1958–2024
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia210,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Republic of Tunisia Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1956–2024
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
Togo Wikipedia57,000 km²57,000 km²1960–2024
Belgian Congo Wikipedia50,000 km²50,000 km²1890–1962
Kingdom of Greece Wikipedia28,000 km²122,000 km²1945–1966
State of Israel Wikipedia21,000 km²21,000 km²1948–2024
Italian Republic Wikipedia20,000 km²289,000 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 1950

New on the map: 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 from the map: French Africa, French Fourth Republic, Kingdom of Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, Second Syrian Republic.

What comes next: 1970

Appear by 1970: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, Libyan Arab Republic, Republic of Chad, Republic of Mali, Republic of the Niger, Mauritania, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Central African Republic, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Botswana, Rhodesia, Republic of the Congo, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Republic of Upper Volta, Gabon, Republic of Uganda, Republic of Senegal, Syrian Arab Republic, Republic of Dahomey, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Lesotho, Equatorial Guinea, Greek junta, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Burundi, Swaziland and others.

Gone by 1970: British Africa, Kingdom of Libya, Mali Federation, British Gold Coast, Belgian Congo, Kingdom of Greece, Muscat and Oman.

Read the history of 1960

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 1960?

The map data draws 35 states and other polities in Africa in 1960. The largest by land were the French Fifth Republic, the British Empire, the British Africa, the Republic of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1960?

Of the states on this map, the French Fifth Republic held the most land in total: about 8.5 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1960 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1960, 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 1960