Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1980

Map of the Middle East in 1980

In 1980, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 34 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 the Islamic Republic of 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 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.

OPEN 1980 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1980
Atlas map: Who Was Left Out? (1977)
FROM THE ATLAS · PROTEST AND CHANGE, CHAPTER 4: WHO WAS LEFT OUT? (1977)

States and empires in the Middle East in 1980

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
Islamic Republic of Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1979–2024
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia961,000 km²21.9 million km²1922–1991
Arab Republic of Egypt Wikipedia953,000 km²953,000 km²1953–2024
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 Jamahiriya 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
Syria Wikipedia187,000 km²187,000 km²1961–2024
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Wikipedia186,000 km²645,000 km²1979–2024
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
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Wikipedia90,000 km²90,000 km²1947–2024
State of Israel Wikipedia90,000 km²90,000 km²1948–2024
Third Hellenic Republic Wikipedia83,000 km²122,000 km²1976–2024
Islamic Republic of Pakistan Wikipedia81,000 km²877,000 km²1947–2024
United Arab Emirates Wikipedia78,000 km²78,000 km²1972–2024
Republic of Djibouti Wikipedia22,000 km²22,000 km²1977–2024
State of Kuwait Wikipedia17,000 km²17,000 km²1757–2024
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Wikipedia17,000 km²250,000 km²1919–1991
Central African Republic Wikipedia14,000 km²623,000 km²1961–2024
State of Qatar Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1820–2024
Lebanon9,810 km²9,810 km²1944–2024
Socialist Republic of Romania Wikipedia8,350 km²238,000 km²1948–1989
Republic of Cyprus Wikipedia7,120 km²7,120 km²1961–2024
Turkish Federated State of Kıbrıs Wikipedia4,340 km²4,340 km²1976–2024
State of Bahrain Wikipedia880 km²880 km²1757–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia670 km²266,000 km²1709–2024
British Empire Wikipedia670 km²379,000 km²1706–1999

"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: 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 from the map: Pahlavi Iran, United Arab Republic, Kingdom of Afghanistan, Greek junta, French Fifth Republic.

What comes next: 1990

Appear by 1990: Republic of Yemen, Romania.

Gone by 1990: People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, North Yemen, State of Kuwait, Socialist Republic of Romania.

Read the history of 1980

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 1980?

The map data draws 34 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1980. The largest by land were the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Sudan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Arab Republic of Egypt.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East 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 the Middle East 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.

Middle East in other years

Other regions in 1980