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Historical map · 1871

Map of the Middle East in 1871

In 1871, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 25 states, empires and other polities in the Middle East. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Ottoman Empire, Khedivate of Egypt and Qajar Iran. The British Empire reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 22.3 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1871. 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 1871 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1871

States and empires in the Middle East in 1871

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.9 million km²2.1 million km²1305–1923
Khedivate of Egypt Wikipedia1.8 million km²1.8 million km²1866–1884
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia819,000 km²819,000 km²1824–1925
Russian Empire Wikipedia611,000 km²21.6 million km²1721–1916
British Empire Wikipedia470,000 km²22.3 million km²1706–1999
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia354,000 km²384,000 km²1512–1919
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia295,000 km²295,000 km²1609–1876
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia224,000 km²241,000 km²1272–1935
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²666,000 km²1828–1925
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia119,000 km²119,000 km²1744–2024
Ottoman Tripolitania Wikipedia107,000 km²896,000 km²1840–1911
Imamate of Yemen Wikipedia95,000 km²95,000 km²1814–1872
Emirate of Jabal Shammar Wikipedia84,000 km²84,000 km²1825–1921
British Raj Wikipedia82,000 km²4.2 million km²1859–1947
Trucial States Wikipedia72,000 km²72,000 km²1820–1894
Majeerteen Sultanate Wikipedia38,000 km²92,000 km²1856–1889
Greece Wikipedia32,000 km²48,000 km²1822–1940
Wadai Empire Wikipedia24,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Qatar Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1820–2024
Romania Wikipedia7,400 km²128,000 km²1859–1916
Kuwait Wikipedia5,510 km²5,510 km²1757–2024
Serbia Wikipedia3,430 km²41,000 km²1805–1915
United Kingdom Wikipedia3,120 km²344,000 km²1709–2024
House of Khalifa Wikipedia880 km²880 km²1783–1894

"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 1850

New on the map: Khedivate of Egypt, Emirate of Jabal Shammar, British Raj, Majeerteen Sultanate, Romania.

Gone from the map: Muhammad Ali dynasty, Caucasian Imamate, Omani East Africa (Swahili coast), Emirate of Bukhara.

What comes next: 1880

Appear by 1880: Principality of Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia.

Gone by 1880: Khanate of Khiva, Sultanate of Darfur, Imamate of Yemen, Kuwait, Serbia.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 1871?

The map data draws 25 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1871. The largest by land were the Ottoman Empire, Khedivate of Egypt, Qajar Iran, the Emirate of Nejd and the Russian Empire.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1871?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 22.3 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the Middle East in 1871 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1871, 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.

Middle East in other years

Other regions in 1871