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Historical map · 1980

Map of North America in 1980

In 1980, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 28 states, empires and other polities in North America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were Canada, the United States of America and Mexico.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on North America 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 North America in 1980

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Canada Wikipedia9.5 million km²10.0 million km²1932–2024
United States of America Wikipedia9.4 million km²9.4 million km²1776–2024
Mexico2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1868–2024
Venezuela Wikipedia553,000 km²941,000 km²1811–2024
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia209,000 km²1.2 million km²1866–2024
Denmark Wikipedia196,000 km²2.3 million km²1333–2024
Republic of Nicaragua Wikipedia133,000 km²133,000 km²1840–2024
Republic of Cuba Wikipedia125,000 km²125,000 km²1902–2024
Honduras Wikipedia115,000 km²115,000 km²1840–2024
Guatemala Wikipedia109,000 km²109,000 km²1840–2024
Republic of Panama Wikipedia83,000 km²83,000 km²1905–2024
Republic of Costa Rica Wikipedia56,000 km²56,000 km²1840–2024
Dominican Republic Wikipedia53,000 km²53,000 km²1846–2024
Haiti Wikipedia31,000 km²31,000 km²1936–2024
Guyana Wikipedia26,000 km²213,000 km²1966–2024
British Empire Wikipedia26,000 km²379,000 km²1706–1999
Republic of El Salvador Wikipedia22,000 km²22,000 km²1840–2024
Commonwealth of The Bahamas Wikipedia19,000 km²19,000 km²1973–2024
Jamaica Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1963–2024
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Wikipedia6,200 km²6,200 km²1963–2024
French Fifth Republic Wikipedia3,820 km²680,000 km²1958–2024
Commonwealth of Dominica Wikipedia1,270 km²1,270 km²1979–2024
Saint Lucia Wikipedia790 km²790 km²1979–2024
Barbados Wikipedia740 km²740 km²1967–2024
Antigua and Barbuda Wikipedia590 km²590 km²1967–2024
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Wikipedia570 km²570 km²1969–2024
Saint Kitts and Nevis Wikipedia500 km²500 km²1967–2024
Grenada Wikipedia480 km²480 km²1976–2024

"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: Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Lucia, Grenada.

Gone from the map: Suriname (Kingdom of the Netherlands).

What comes next: 1990

Appear by 1990: Belize.

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 North America in 1980?

The map data draws 28 states and other polities in North America in 1980. The largest by land were Canada, the United States of America, Mexico, Venezuela and the Republic of Colombia.

What was the largest empire in North America in 1980?

Of the states on this map, Canada held the most land in total: about 10.0 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore North America 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.

North America in other years

Other regions in 1980