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Africa in 1520

This map shows the 18 states and peoples the data has for Africa in that year.

Map of Africa in 1520 with 18 states and peoples
Borders: Cliopatria, Seshat Global History Databank (CC BY 4.0). Coarse outlines: check and adjust them for your story.

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States and peoples in Africa in 1520

Largest first, by area on this map.

  • Ottoman Empire
  • Safavid Dynasty
  • Songhai Empire
  • Funj Sultanate
  • Wattasid dynasty
  • Ethiopian Empire
  • Mali Empire
  • Hafsid Dynasty
  • Bornu Empire
  • Zayyanid dynasty
  • Adal Sultanate
  • Kingdom of Spain
  • Kingdom of Kongo
  • Bahrani Dynasty
  • Portuguese Africa
  • Republic of Venice
  • Kingdom of Portugal
  • Republic of Genoa

New on the map since 1495

Safavid Dynasty · Funj Sultanate · Kingdom of Spain · Portuguese Africa

Gone from the map by 1545

Bahrani Dynasty · Republic of Genoa

Animated maps of this time

Africa in other years

Other regions in 1520

The outlines are coarse and follow the Cliopatria dataset: borders before modern surveys are estimates, and a blank area means the data has no state on record there, not that nobody lived there. A state that changed hands during the year can appear together with its successor.