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Historical map · 1960

Map of the World in 1960

In 1960, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 106 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Canada and the United States of America.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1960. 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 1960 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1960
Atlas map: Algeria — The Exception (May 1960)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE DECOLONIZATION OF AFRICA, CHAPTER 4: ALGERIA — THE EXCEPTION (MAY 1960)

States and empires in the World in 1960

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia21.9 million km²21.9 million km²1922–1991
Canada Wikipedia10.0 million km²10.0 million km²1932–2024
United States of America Wikipedia9.4 million km²9.4 million km²1776–2024
People's Republic of China Wikipedia9.4 million km²9.4 million km²1950–2024
Brazilian Republic Wikipedia8.6 million km²8.6 million km²1890–2024
French Fifth Republic Wikipedia8.5 million km²8.5 million km²1958–2024
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1905–2024
British Empire Wikipedia6.5 million km²6.5 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia3.6 million km²3.6 million km²1885–1960
Republic of India Wikipedia3.2 million km²3.2 million km²1947–2024
Argentine Republic Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1930–2024
Republic of Sudan Wikipedia2.5 million km²2.5 million km²1956–2024
Democratic Republic of the Congo Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1960–2024
Denmark Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1333–2024
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
South Africa Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1932–2024
Republic of Indonesia Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1946–2024
Mexico2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1868–2024
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Kingdom of Libya Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1953–1968
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
Mali Federation Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1960
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1822–2024
Ethiopia Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1942–2024
United Arab Republic Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1958–1972
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1866–2024
Bolivia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1825–2024
Islamic Republic of Pakistan Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1947–2024
British Gold Coast Wikipedia958,000 km²958,000 km²1873–1960
Venezuela Wikipedia941,000 km²941,000 km²1811–2024
Francoist Spain Wikipedia814,000 km²814,000 km²1939–1975
Republic of Chile Wikipedia803,000 km²803,000 km²1812–2024
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia692,000 km²692,000 km²1709–2024
Burma Wikipedia678,000 km²678,000 km²1820–2024
Somali Republic Wikipedia649,000 km²649,000 km²1960–2024
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
Madagascar Wikipedia618,000 km²618,000 km²1960–2024
Kingdom of Thailand Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024

Also on the map: Territory of Papua and New Guinea (Australian), Kingdom of Sweden, Iraqi Republic, Republic of Cameroon, Kingdom of Norway, Japan, Morocco, Paraguay, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Finland, Muscat and Oman, Polish People's Republic, New Zealand, Italian Republic, Republic of Ecuador, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, Guinea, Federal Republic of Germany, Ghana, Romanian People's Republic, Kingdom of Laos, Kingdom of Cambodia, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Republic of Vietnam, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Republic of Tunisia, North Yemen, Suriname (Kingdom of the Netherlands), Nepal, Federation of Malaya, Republic of Nicaragua, Czechoslovakia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Cuba, Kingdom of Greece, Honduras, German Democratic Republic, Republic of Iceland, Guatemala, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of Korea, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Liberia, Hungarian People's Republic, Second Republic of Austria, Republic of Panama, Netherlands, Ireland, Dominion of Ceylon, Togo, Republic of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Belgian Congo, Republic of China, Kingdom of Bhutan, Swiss Confederation, Haiti, Kingdom of Belgium, People's Republic of Albania, Republic of El Salvador, State of Israel, New Hebrides, Lebanon, Luxembourg, West Berlin, Principality of Andorra.

"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 1950

New on the map: French Fifth Republic, Republic of Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kingdom of Libya, Mali Federation, United Arab Republic, Somali Republic, Madagascar, Iraqi Republic, Republic of Cameroon, Morocco, Guinea, Ghana, Kingdom of Laos, Kingdom of Cambodia, Republic of Vietnam, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Republic of Tunisia, Federation of Malaya, Togo.

Gone from the map: French Fourth Republic, French Africa, Kingdom of Egypt, Tibet, French Indochina, Kingdom of Iraq, Second Syrian Republic.

What comes next: 1970

Appear by 1970: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, Libyan Arab Republic, Republic of Chad, Republic of Mali, Republic of the Niger, Mauritania, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Central African Republic, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Botswana, Rhodesia, Malaysia, Republic of the Congo, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Sultanate of Oman, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Republic of Upper Volta, Gabon, Guyana, Republic of Uganda, Republic of Senegal, Syrian Arab Republic, Khmer Republic, Greek junta, Republic of Dahomey, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Lesotho and others.

Gone by 1970: British Africa, Kingdom of Libya, Mali Federation, British Gold Coast, Muscat and Oman, Kingdom of Cambodia, Federation of Malaya, Kingdom of Greece, Belgian Congo.

Read the history of 1960

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the World in 1960?

The map data draws 106 states and other polities in the World in 1960. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Canada, the United States of America, the People's Republic of China and the Brazilian Republic.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1960?

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 World in 1960 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1960, 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.

World in other years

Other regions in 1960