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Historical map · 1980

Map of India and South Asia in 1980

In 1980, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 14 states, empires and other polities in India and South Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Republic of India, the People's Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached well beyond India and South Asia: its whole territory measured about 21.9 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on India and South Asia in 1980. 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.

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States and empires in India and South Asia in 1980

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Republic of India Wikipedia3.2 million km²3.2 million km²1947–2024
People's Republic of China Wikipedia2.0 million km²9.4 million km²1950–2024
Islamic Republic of Pakistan Wikipedia877,000 km²877,000 km²1947–2024
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Wikipedia642,000 km²645,000 km²1979–2024
Burma Wikipedia629,000 km²678,000 km²1820–2024
Islamic Republic of Iran Wikipedia327,000 km²1.6 million km²1979–2024
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia168,000 km²21.9 million km²1922–1991
Nepal Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
People's Republic of Bangladesh Wikipedia145,000 km²145,000 km²1972–2024
Republic of Indonesia Wikipedia103,000 km²2.1 million km²1946–2024
Sri Lanka Wikipedia74,000 km²74,000 km²1948–2024
Kingdom of Thailand Wikipedia67,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia40,000 km²40,000 km²1636–2024
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia13,000 km²315,000 km²1744–2024

"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 1970

New on the map: Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, People's Republic of Bangladesh.

Gone from the map: Kingdom of Afghanistan, Pahlavi Iran.

What comes next: 1990

Between 1980 and 1990 the data shows the same states in India and South Asia; their borders may still have moved.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in India and South Asia in 1980?

The map data draws 14 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1980. The largest by land were the Republic of India, the People's Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and Burma.

What was the largest empire in India and South Asia in 1980?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.9 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore India and South Asia in 1980 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1980, 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.

India in other years

Other regions in 1980