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Historical map · 1880

Map of the Middle East in 1880

In 1880, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 22 states, empires and other polities in the Middle East. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were Khedivate of Egypt, the Ottoman Empire and Qajar Iran. The British Empire reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 25.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1880. 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 1880 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1880

States and empires in the Middle East in 1880

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Khedivate of Egypt Wikipedia2.4 million km²3.0 million km²1866–1884
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1305–1923
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Russian Empire Wikipedia997,000 km²22.2 million km²1721–1916
British Empire Wikipedia486,000 km²25.2 million km²1706–1999
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia325,000 km²325,000 km²1824–1925
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia224,000 km²241,000 km²1272–1935
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia193,000 km²193,000 km²1744–2024
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
Emirate of Jabal Shammar Wikipedia136,000 km²136,000 km²1825–1921
Ottoman Tripolitania Wikipedia107,000 km²896,000 km²1840–1911
British Raj Wikipedia82,000 km²4.2 million km²1859–1947
Trucial States Wikipedia74,000 km²74,000 km²1820–1894
Principality of Bulgaria Wikipedia61,000 km²63,000 km²1880–1908
Majeerteen Sultanate Wikipedia38,000 km²92,000 km²1856–1889
Greece Wikipedia32,000 km²48,000 km²1822–1940
Wadai Empire Wikipedia24,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
United Kingdom Wikipedia15,000 km²355,000 km²1709–2024
Qatar Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1820–2024
Romania Wikipedia8,350 km²130,000 km²1859–1916
Kingdom of Serbia Wikipedia7,460 km²50,000 km²1188–1884
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 1871

New on the map: Principality of Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia.

Gone from the map: Khanate of Khiva, Sultanate of Darfur, Imamate of Yemen, Kuwait, Serbia.

What comes next: 1900

Appear by 1900: British Africa, Italian Africa, Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, French Third Republic, French Africa, Serbia, Cretan State, Kingdom of Italy.

Gone by 1900: Khedivate of Egypt, Emirate of Nejd, Sultanate of Oman, Trucial States, Majeerteen Sultanate, Kingdom of Serbia, House of Khalifa.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 1880?

The map data draws 22 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1880. The largest by land were Khedivate of Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, Qajar Iran, the Russian Empire and the British Empire.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1880?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 25.2 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 1880 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1880, 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 1880