Historical map · 1980

Map of South America in 1980

In 1980, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 22 states, empires and other polities in South America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Argentine Republic and the Republic of Peru. The United States of America reached well beyond South America: its whole territory measured about 9.4 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on South 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

States and empires in South America in 1980

State	In this region	Whole state	In the data
Federative Republic of Brazil Wikipedia	8.6 million km²	8.6 million km²	1890–2024
Argentine Republic Wikipedia	2.8 million km²	2.8 million km²	1930–2024
Republic of Peru Wikipedia	1.3 million km²	1.3 million km²	1822–2024
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia	1.2 million km²	1.2 million km²	1866–2024
Bolivia Wikipedia	1.1 million km²	1.1 million km²	1825–2024
Venezuela Wikipedia	941,000 km²	941,000 km²	1811–2024
Republic of Chile Wikipedia	801,000 km²	801,000 km²	1812–2024
Paraguay Wikipedia	403,000 km²	403,000 km²	1811–2024
Republic of Ecuador Wikipedia	254,000 km²	264,000 km²	1834–2024
Guyana Wikipedia	213,000 km²	213,000 km²	1966–2024
Oriental Republic of Uruguay Wikipedia	181,000 km²	181,000 km²	1828–2024
Republic of Suriname Wikipedia	148,000 km²	148,000 km²	1820–2024
French Fifth Republic Wikipedia	86,000 km²	680,000 km²	1958–2024
Republic of Panama Wikipedia	83,000 km²	83,000 km²	1905–2024
British Empire Wikipedia	21,000 km²	379,000 km²	1706–1999
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Wikipedia	6,200 km²	6,200 km²	1963–2024
Republic of Costa Rica Wikipedia	3,790 km²	56,000 km²	1840–2024
United States of America Wikipedia	1,320 km²	9.4 million km²	1776–2024
Barbados Wikipedia	740 km²	740 km²	1967–2024
Saint Lucia Wikipedia	680 km²	790 km²	1979–2024
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Wikipedia	570 km²	570 km²	1969–2024
Grenada Wikipedia	480 km²	480 km²	1976–2024

"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: Saint Lucia, Grenada.

What comes next: 1990

Between 1980 and 1990 the data shows the same states in South America; their borders may still have moved.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in South America in 1980?

The map data draws 22 states and other polities in South America in 1980. The largest by land were the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Argentine Republic, the Republic of Peru, the Republic of Colombia and Bolivia.

What was the largest empire in South America in 1980?

Of the states on this map, the United States of America held the most land in total: about 9.4 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore South 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.

More