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Historical map · 1980

Map of the World in 1980

In 1980, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 160 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 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: The Stagnant Superpower (1980)
FROM THE ATLAS · REMAKING THE STATE, CHAPTER 7: THE STAGNANT SUPERPOWER (1980)

States and empires in the World in 1980

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
Federative Republic of Brazil Wikipedia8.6 million km²8.6 million km²1890–2024
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1905–2024
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
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1963–2024
Zaire Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1971–1996
Denmark Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1333–2024
South Africa Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1932–2024
Republic of Indonesia Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1946–2024
Mexico2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1868–2024
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
Islamic Republic of Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1979–2024
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1969–2013
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1822–2024
Republic of Chad Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1961–2024
People's Republic of Angola Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1976–2024
Ethiopia Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1942–2024
Republic of Mali1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1961–2024
Republic of the Niger Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1961–2024
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1866–2024
Bolivia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1825–2024
Mauritania Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1961–2024
Arab Republic of Egypt Wikipedia953,000 km²953,000 km²1953–2024
Venezuela Wikipedia941,000 km²941,000 km²1811–2024
Federal Republic of Nigeria Wikipedia915,000 km²915,000 km²1961–2024
Tanzania Wikipedia890,000 km²890,000 km²1964–2024
Islamic Republic of Pakistan Wikipedia877,000 km²877,000 km²1947–2024
Republic of Chile Wikipedia801,000 km²801,000 km²1812–2024
Mozambique Wikipedia787,000 km²787,000 km²1976–2024
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Zambia Wikipedia750,000 km²750,000 km²1965–2024
French Fifth Republic Wikipedia680,000 km²680,000 km²1958–2024
Burma Wikipedia678,000 km²678,000 km²1820–2024
Somali Democratic Republic Wikipedia649,000 km²649,000 km²1960–2024

Also on the map: Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Madagascar, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Botswana, Kingdom of Thailand, Kingdom of Spain, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Cameroon, Kingdom of Sweden, Iraqi Republic, Kingdom of Norway, Japan, Morocco, Paraguay, Republic of Zimbabwe, British Empire, Malaysia, Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Philippines, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Republic of Finland, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Sultanate of Oman, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Polish People's Republic, New Zealand, Italian Republic, Republic of Upper Volta, United Kingdom, Gabon, Republic of Ecuador, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Guinea, Federal Republic of Germany, Ghana, Socialist Republic of Romania, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Guyana, Republic of Uganda, Republic of Senegal, Syria, People's Republic of Kampuchea, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, North Yemen, Republic of Tunisia, Nepal, Republic of Suriname, People's Republic of Bangladesh, Republic of Nicaragua, Czechoslovakia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Cuba, Third Hellenic Republic, People's Republic of Benin, Honduras, German Democratic Republic, Republic of Iceland, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Guatemala, Republic of Korea, Republic of Liberia, Portugal, Malawi, Hungarian People's Republic, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, State of Israel, Second Republic of Austria, Republic of Panama, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Ireland, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Togo, Republic of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Republic of China, Swiss Confederation, Kingdom of Bhutan, Solomon Islands, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Haiti, Kingdom of Belgium, Equatorial Guinea, People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Burundi, Republic of Djibouti, Republic of El Salvador, Dominion of Fiji, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, State of Kuwait, Swaziland, New Hebrides, Jamaica, State of Qatar, Republic of The Gambia, Lebanon, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Cabo Verde, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Turkish Federated State of Kıbrıs, Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, Mauritius, Luxembourg, São Tomé and Príncipe, Commonwealth of Dominica, State of Bahrain, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Republic of Singapore, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, West Berlin, Malta, 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 1970

New on the map: Zaire, Islamic Republic of Iran, People's Republic of Angola, Arab Republic of Egypt, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Kingdom of Spain, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Zimbabwe, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Lao People's Democratic Republic, People's Republic of Kampuchea, People's Republic of Bangladesh, Third Hellenic Republic, People's Republic of Benin, United Arab Emirates, Solomon Islands, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Djibouti, Dominion of Fiji, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, State of Qatar, Republic of Cabo Verde, Turkish Federated State of Kıbrıs, Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe, Commonwealth of Dominica, State of Bahrain, Saint Lucia, Grenada.

Gone from the map: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pahlavi Iran, United Arab Republic, Francoist Spain, Kingdom of Afghanistan, Territory of Papua and New Guinea (Australian), Rhodesia, Kingdom of Laos, Republic of Vietnam, Khmer Republic, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Greek junta, Republic of Dahomey.

What comes next: 1990

Appear by 1990: Namibia, Republic of Yemen, Republic of Poland, Burkina Faso, Romania, State of Cambodia, Hungary, Republic of Lithuania, Belize, Vanuatu, Sultanate of Brunei, Federated States of Micronesia.

Gone by 1990: People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Polish People's Republic, Republic of Upper Volta, Socialist Republic of Romania, People's Republic of Kampuchea, North Yemen, Hungarian People's Republic, State of Kuwait, New Hebrides.

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 the World in 1980?

The map data draws 160 states and other polities in the World in 1980. 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 Federative Republic of Brazil.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1980?

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 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.

World in other years

Other regions in 1980