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Historical map · 1960

Map of the Middle East in 1960

In 1960, 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 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Sudan and Pahlavi Iran. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 21.9 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East 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: Coexistence and Its Crises (Aug 1961)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE COLD WAR, CHAPTER 5: COEXISTENCE AND ITS CRISES (AUG 1961)

States and empires in the Middle East in 1960

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
Republic of Sudan Wikipedia1.9 million km²2.5 million km²1956–2024
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
United Arab Republic Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1958–1972
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia962,000 km²21.9 million km²1922–1991
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Ethiopia Wikipedia470,000 km²1.3 million km²1942–2024
Iraqi Republic Wikipedia434,000 km²434,000 km²1959–2024
British Empire Wikipedia431,000 km²6.5 million km²1706–1999
United Kingdom Wikipedia426,000 km²692,000 km²1709–2024
Kingdom of Libya Wikipedia417,000 km²1.6 million km²1953–1968
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
French Fifth Republic Wikipedia175,000 km²8.5 million km²1958–2024
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Somali Republic Wikipedia115,000 km²649,000 km²1960–2024
People's Republic of Bulgaria Wikipedia108,000 km²109,000 km²1947–1990
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Wikipedia104,000 km²104,000 km²1947–2024
Kingdom of Greece Wikipedia83,000 km²122,000 km²1945–1966
Islamic Republic of Pakistan Wikipedia82,000 km²1.0 million km²1947–2024
State of Israel Wikipedia21,000 km²21,000 km²1948–2024
Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia Wikipedia17,000 km²250,000 km²1919–1991
Lebanon9,840 km²9,840 km²1944–2024
Romanian People's Republic Wikipedia8,350 km²238,000 km²1948–1989
British Africa Wikipedia5,460 km²3.6 million km²1885–1960

"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: Republic of Sudan, United Arab Republic, Iraqi Republic, Kingdom of Libya, French Fifth Republic, Somali Republic.

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

What comes next: 1970

Appear by 1970: Libyan Arab Republic, Sultanate of Oman, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Syrian Arab Republic, Republic of Chad, Greek junta, Central African Republic, State of Kuwait, Republic of Cyprus.

Gone by 1970: Kingdom of Libya, Muscat and Oman, Kingdom of Greece, British Africa.

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 the Middle East in 1960?

The map data draws 25 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1960. The largest by land were the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Sudan, Pahlavi Iran, the United Arab Republic and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1960?

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 the Middle East 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.

Middle East in other years

Other regions in 1960