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Historical map · 1970

Map of the Middle East in 1970

In 1970, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 30 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 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 the Middle East in 1970

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
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia962,000 km²21.9 million km²1922–1991
United Arab Republic Wikipedia953,000 km²953,000 km²1958–1972
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
Libyan Arab Republic Wikipedia417,000 km²1.6 million km²1969–2013
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²1744–2024
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen Wikipedia314,000 km²314,000 km²1968–1989
Syrian Arab Republic Wikipedia186,000 km²186,000 km²1961–2024
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Republic of Chad Wikipedia138,000 km²1.3 million km²1961–2024
Somali Democratic Republic Wikipedia115,000 km²649,000 km²1960–2024
People's Republic of Bulgaria Wikipedia108,000 km²109,000 km²1947–1990
British Empire Wikipedia92,000 km²627,000 km²1706–1999
United Kingdom Wikipedia92,000 km²357,000 km²1709–2024
State of Israel Wikipedia90,000 km²90,000 km²1948–2024
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Wikipedia90,000 km²90,000 km²1947–2024
Greek junta Wikipedia83,000 km²122,000 km²1967–1975
Islamic Republic of Pakistan Wikipedia82,000 km²1.0 million km²1947–2024
French Fifth Republic Wikipedia22,000 km²705,000 km²1958–2024
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Wikipedia17,000 km²250,000 km²1919–1991
Central African Republic Wikipedia14,000 km²623,000 km²1961–2024
State of Kuwait Wikipedia14,000 km²14,000 km²1757–2024
Republic of Cyprus Wikipedia11,000 km²11,000 km²1961–2024
Lebanon9,810 km²9,810 km²1944–2024
Socialist Republic of Romania Wikipedia8,350 km²238,000 km²1948–1989

"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: 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 from the map: Kingdom of Libya, Muscat and Oman, Kingdom of Greece, British Africa.

What comes next: 1980

Appear by 1980: Islamic Republic of Iran, Arab Republic of Egypt, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Third Hellenic Republic, United Arab Emirates, Republic of Djibouti, State of Qatar, Turkish Federated State of Kıbrıs, State of Bahrain.

Gone by 1980: Pahlavi Iran, United Arab Republic, Kingdom of Afghanistan, Greek junta, French Fifth Republic.

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 the Middle East in 1970?

The map data draws 30 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1970. The largest by land were the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Sudan, Pahlavi Iran, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United Arab Republic.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1970?

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 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.

Middle East in other years

Other regions in 1970