Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1990

Map of the Middle East in 1990

In 1990, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 32 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 21.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1990. 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 1990 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1990
Atlas map: Gorbachev and the Unraveling (Nov 1989)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE COLD WAR, CHAPTER 11: GORBACHEV AND THE UNRAVELING (NOV 1989)

States and empires in the Middle East in 1990

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
Arab Republic of Egypt Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1953–2024
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia961,000 km²21.8 million km²1922–1991
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Ethiopia Wikipedia470,000 km²1.3 million km²1942–2024
Republic of Yemen465,000 km²465,000 km²1990–2024
Iraqi Republic Wikipedia457,000 km²457,000 km²1959–2024
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Wikipedia417,000 km²1.6 million km²1969–2013
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²1744–2024
Syria Wikipedia187,000 km²187,000 km²1961–2024
Republic of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1979–2024
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
Third Hellenic Republic Wikipedia83,000 km²122,000 km²1976–2024
Islamic Republic of Pakistan Wikipedia82,000 km²877,000 km²1947–2024
United Arab Emirates Wikipedia78,000 km²78,000 km²1972–2024
State of Israel Wikipedia28,000 km²28,000 km²1948–2024
Republic of Djibouti Wikipedia22,000 km²22,000 km²1977–2024
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
Romania8,350 km²238,000 km²1990–2024
Republic of Cyprus Wikipedia7,120 km²7,120 km²1961–2024
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (recognised only by Turkey) Wikipedia4,340 km²4,340 km²1976–2024
State of Bahrain Wikipedia880 km²880 km²1757–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia670 km²266,000 km²1709–2024
British Empire Wikipedia670 km²318,000 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 1980

New on the map: Republic of Yemen, Romania.

Gone from the map: People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, North Yemen, State of Kuwait, Socialist Republic of Romania.

What comes next: 2000

Appear by 2000: Turkmenistan, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban), Republic of Uzbekistan, State of Eritrea, Republic of Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Armenia, Kuwait, Chechnya (Second Chechen War), Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Republic of Macedonia, South Ossetia (unrecognised breakaway state), French Fifth Republic.

Gone by 2000: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Republic of Afghanistan, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, British Empire.

Read the history of 1990

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 1990?

The map data draws 32 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1990. The largest by land were the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Sudan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1990?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.8 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 1990 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1990, 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 1990