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Historical map · 1950

Map of South America in 1950

In 1950, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 16 states, empires and other polities in South America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Brazilian Republic, the Argentine Republic and the Republic of Peru. The French Fourth Republic reached well beyond South America: its whole territory measured about 13.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on South America in 1950. 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 1950 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1950

States and empires in South America in 1950

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Brazilian Republic Wikipedia8.6 million km²8.6 million km²1890–2024
Argentine Republic Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1930–2024
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1822–2024
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1866–2024
Bolivia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1825–2024
Venezuela Wikipedia941,000 km²941,000 km²1811–2024
Republic of Chile Wikipedia803,000 km²803,000 km²1812–2024
Paraguay Wikipedia403,000 km²403,000 km²1811–2024
Republic of Ecuador Wikipedia254,000 km²264,000 km²1834–2024
British Empire Wikipedia242,000 km²11.3 million km²1706–1999
Oriental Republic of Uruguay Wikipedia181,000 km²181,000 km²1828–2024
Surinam (Dutch colony) Wikipedia149,000 km²150,000 km²1820–2024
French Fourth Republic Wikipedia86,000 km²13.8 million km²1945–1957
Republic of Panama Wikipedia83,000 km²83,000 km²1905–2024
Republic of Costa Rica Wikipedia3,790 km²56,000 km²1840–2024
United States of America Wikipedia1,320 km²9.4 million km²1776–2024

"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 1945

Between 1945 and 1950 the data shows the same states in South America; their borders may still have moved.

What comes next: 1960

Appear by 1960: French Fifth Republic.

Gone by 1960: French Fourth Republic.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in South America in 1950?

The map data draws 16 states and other polities in South America in 1950. The largest by land were the Brazilian Republic, the Argentine Republic, the Republic of Peru, the Republic of Colombia and Bolivia.

What was the largest empire in South America in 1950?

Of the states on this map, the French Fourth Republic held the most land in total: about 13.8 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore South America in 1950 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1950, 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.

South America in other years

Other regions in 1950