Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1970

Map of Africa in 1970

In 1970, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 63 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Republic of Sudan, the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1970. 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 1970 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1970
Atlas map: Organising for Equality (1970)
FROM THE ATLAS · PROTEST AND CHANGE, CHAPTER 2: ORGANISING FOR EQUALITY (1970)

States and empires in Africa in 1970

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Republic of Sudan Wikipedia2.5 million km²2.5 million km²1956–2024
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1963–2024
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
Libyan Arab Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1969–2013
Republic of Chad Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1961–2024
Ethiopia Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1942–2024
Republic of Mali1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1961–2024
Republic of the Niger Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1961–2024
Mauritania Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1961–2024
United Arab Republic Wikipedia953,000 km²953,000 km²1958–1972
Federal Republic of Nigeria Wikipedia915,000 km²915,000 km²1961–2024
Tanzania Wikipedia890,000 km²890,000 km²1964–2024
Zambia Wikipedia750,000 km²750,000 km²1965–2024
Somali Democratic Republic Wikipedia649,000 km²649,000 km²1960–2024
Central African Republic Wikipedia623,000 km²623,000 km²1961–2024
Madagascar Wikipedia618,000 km²618,000 km²1960–2024
Republic of Kenya Wikipedia588,000 km²588,000 km²1963–2024
Republic of Botswana Wikipedia579,000 km²579,000 km²1967–2024
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia548,000 km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Republic of Cameroon Wikipedia468,000 km²468,000 km²1960–2024
Iraqi Republic Wikipedia434,000 km²434,000 km²1959–2024
Morocco Wikipedia407,000 km²407,000 km²1670–2024
Rhodesia Wikipedia394,000 km²394,000 km²1966–1978
Francoist Spain Wikipedia365,000 km²785,000 km²1939–1975
Republic of the Congo347,000 km²347,000 km²1961–2024
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire Wikipedia323,000 km²323,000 km²1961–2024
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen Wikipedia308,000 km²314,000 km²1968–1989
Republic of Upper Volta275,000 km²275,000 km²1961–1983
Gabon Wikipedia266,000 km²266,000 km²1961–2024
Guinea247,000 km²247,000 km²1960–2024
Ghana Wikipedia242,000 km²242,000 km²1958–2024
Republic of Uganda Wikipedia211,000 km²211,000 km²1963–2024
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia210,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Republic of Senegal Wikipedia201,000 km²201,000 km²1961–2024
Syrian Arab Republic Wikipedia186,000 km²186,000 km²1961–2024
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Republic of Tunisia Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1956–2024

Also on the map: Republic of Dahomey, Republic of Liberia, Malawi, State of Israel, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Sierra Leone, Togo, Lesotho, Equatorial Guinea, Greek junta, United Kingdom, British Empire, French Fifth Republic, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Burundi, Italian Republic, Swaziland, State of Kuwait, Sultanate of Oman, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of The Gambia, Lebanon, Malta.

"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 1960

New on the map: 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 from the map: British Africa, Kingdom of Libya, Mali Federation, British Gold Coast, Belgian Congo, Kingdom of Greece, Muscat and Oman.

What comes next: 1980

Appear by 1980: Zaire, People's Republic of Angola, Arab Republic of Egypt, Mozambique, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Zimbabwe, People's Republic of Benin, Kingdom of Spain, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Third Hellenic Republic, Republic of Djibouti, United Arab Emirates, State of Qatar, Turkish Federated State of Kıbrıs, Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe, State of Bahrain, Republic of Cabo Verde.

Gone by 1980: Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Arab Republic, Pahlavi Iran, Rhodesia, Francoist Spain, Republic of Dahomey, Greek junta, United Kingdom, British Empire.

Read the history of 1970

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 1970?

The map data draws 63 states and other polities in Africa in 1970. The largest by land were the Republic of Sudan, the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Portugal (Estado Novo) and the South Africa.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1970?

Of the states on this map, the Republic of Sudan held the most land in total: about 2.5 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1970 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1970, 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 1970