Map of Africa in 1855
On 1 July 1855, IntMap’s historical map draws 130 names within Africa. The borders for this date come from OpenHistoricalMap (day by day), then Cliopatria, Seshat Global History Databank (by year), then historical-basemaps — each drawn only where the records before it are silent. The map also draws 5 outlines here that the source gives no name.
Names on the map
As the map labels them, largest first by the area of the outline drawn inside this view. Areas are of the drawn outline, rounded, and approximate.
| Name | Drawn area in view (km²) |
|---|---|
| Ottoman Empire | 3,680,000 |
| Turco-Egyptian Sudan | 2,060,000 |
| Sokoto Caliphate | 1,200,000 |
| Emirate of Nejd | 964,000 |
| Arabia | 905,000 |
| Province of Mozambique | 811,000 |
| Kingdom of Imerina | 626,000 |
| Cape Colony | 517,000 |
| Persia | 469,000 |
| Second French Empire | 428,000 |
| Alawi Sultanate | 392,000 |
| Wadai Empire | 377,000 |
| Tukular Caliphate | 373,000 |
| Ethiopian Empire | 342,000 |
| Sultanate of Utetera | 305,000 |
| South African Republic | 284,000 |
| Sultinate of Zanzibar | 271,000 |
| Bornu Empire | 228,000 |
| Mossi States | 207,000 |
| Kong Empire | 197,000 |
| Lozi | 188,000 |
| Yeke | 187,000 |
| Mirambo Unyanyembe Ukimbu | 169,000 |
| Kanem-Bornu | 142,000 |
| Omani Slave Coast | 136,000 |
| Muhammad Ali dynasty | 136,000 |
| Egypt | 134,000 |
| Orange Free State | 131,000 |
| Bight of Benin | 124,000 |
| Dendi Kingdom | 122,000 |
| Majeerteen Sultanate | 115,000 |
| Borgu States | 114,000 |
| Kingdom of Lunda | 113,000 |
| Massina Empire | 105,000 |
| Ashanti Empire | 104,000 |
| Sultanate of Dar al Kuti | 100,000 |
| Barotse | 97,600 |
| Liberia | 97,200 |
| Spain | 96,800 |
| Shona | 79,300 |
| Colony of Sierra Leone | 76,500 |
| Lunda | 76,300 |
| Bight of Biafra | 75,200 |
| Mbailundu | 72,700 |
| Yaka | 67,500 |
| Harer (Egypt) | 62,800 |
| Ovimbundu | 61,000 |
| Kuba | 60,900 |
| Ndebele | 59,700 |
| Bunyoro | 58,900 |
| Buganda | 58,500 |
| Gold Coast Colony | 56,300 |
| Teke | 56,000 |
| Angola (Portugal) | 52,900 |
| Portuguese Guinea | 51,800 |
| Transvaal | 48,600 |
| Morocco | 47,800 |
| Imamate of Futa Toro | 47,000 |
| Colony of Natal | 46,900 |
| Senegal (FR) | 46,300 |
| Wassoulou Empire | 43,200 |
| Imamate of Yemen | 42,900 |
| Sultanate of Qishn and Socotra | 42,700 |
| Kingdom of Portugal | 41,100 |
| Kingdom of Rwanda | 40,000 |
| Kingdom of Greece | 38,600 |
| Nguni | 35,400 |
| Sultanate of Damagaram | 32,700 |
| British Cape Colony | 30,600 |
| British Empire | 30,600 |
| Futa Jalon | 30,400 |
| Ngwato | 30,000 |
| Kingdom of Burundi | 26,900 |
| Portuguese Empire | 26,900 |
| Kingdom of the Two Sicilies | 26,400 |
| Zululand | 26,100 |
| Basutoland | 21,300 |
| Kingdom of Jolof | 20,500 |
| Kingdom of Dahomey | 20,400 |
| Rabih az-Zubayr | 20,300 |
| Gabon | 19,700 |
| Luba | 19,400 |
| Dahomey | 19,200 |
| Congo | 19,000 |
| Bundu | 18,900 |
| French Africa | 17,500 |
| Kingdom of Saloum | 17,200 |
| Shilluk Kingdom | 16,800 |
| Ivory Coast | 14,900 |
| Ato trading confederacy | 14,400 |
| Kingdom of Cayor | 14,100 |
| Spanish Guinea | 13,600 |
| Swaziland | 12,700 |
| Sultanate of Darfur | 12,700 |
| Calabar | 12,300 |
| Benin | 12,000 |
| Gambia Colony and Protectorate | 11,700 |
| Kingdom of Niani | 11,700 |
| Griqualand West | 10,900 |
| Futa Toro | 9,840 |
| Algeria (FR) | 9,200 |
| Spanish Posessions on the Gulf of Guinea | 8,920 |
| Kingdom of Baol | 8,170 |
| Sultanate of Lahej | 8,120 |
| Mozambique | 7,850 |
| Opobo | 7,000 |
| Trucial Oman | 6,720 |
| Rwanda | 6,070 |
| Kingdom of Kakongo | 6,050 |
| Kingdom of Waalo | 5,570 |
| Kingdom of Wuli | 5,410 |
| Natal | 5,180 |
| Kingdom of Ngoyo | 3,920 |
| Cotonou | 3,260 |
| British Mauritius | 2,750 |
| Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe | 2,560 |
| Republic of Maryland | 2,520 |
| Trucial States | 2,370 |
| Kingdom of Sine | 2,320 |
| United States of the Ionian Islands | 2,290 |
| Haushabi Sultanate | 1,860 |
| Mayotte | 1,620 |
| Walvis Bay Colony | 1,610 |
| Company Raj | 1,510 |
| Sultanate of Ndzuwani | 1,260 |
| French Nosy Be | 1,110 |
| Crown Colony of Malta | 925 |
| Sultanate of Mwali | 923 |
| Nosy Boraha | 888 |
| Saint Helena Crown Colony | 508 |
What changed since 1854
Now drawn
none
No longer drawn
Ethiopia
The same date elsewhere
World map · 1855 Map of Europe · 1853–1859 Map of the Middle East · 1855 Map of South Asia · 1853–1855 Map of East Asia · 1855 Map of Southeast Asia · 1854–1858 Map of Central Asia · 1849–1855 Map of North America · 1854–1858 Map of Central America and the Caribbean · 1854–1857 Map of South America · 1853–1857 Map of Oceania · 1852–1855
Source and method
Borders and names: OpenHistoricalMap (openhistoricalmap.org) · CC0 1.0 + Cliopatria v0.2.1 (Seshat Global History Databank, github.com/Seshat-Global-History-Databank/cliopatria) · CC BY 4.0 · adapted by IntMap: simplified, BC years made astronomical, and the ground OpenHistoricalMap (1689–1885, and from 1886 where CShapes is silent) and CShapes (1886–2019) state removed on their own dates + aourednik/historical-basemaps (github.com/aourednik/historical-basemaps) · GPL-3.0 · adapted by IntMap: each sheet before 1886 less the ground OpenHistoricalMap and Cliopatria state at that sheet's year.
Listed: every name whose outline IntMap draws inside 20°W–52°E, 36°S–38°N on this date, with the name the map writes on it. The list is worked out when the site is built, from the same records and the same code the map uses, so it says what the map shows — not more. Names are the source’s own, translated where the source or IntMap’s name table has a translation.