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Africa in 1885

1885 is the year the Berlin Conference ended. This map shows the 38 states and peoples the data has for Africa in that year.

Map of Africa in 1885 with 38 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 1885

Largest first, by area on this map.

  • British Africa
  • Ottoman Empire
  • French Africa
  • Kingdom of Portugal
  • Ottoman Tripolitania
  • Qajar Dynasty
  • German Africa
  • Sokoto Caliphate
  • Merina Kingdom
  • Morocco
  • South African Republic
  • British Colonial Empire
  • Emirate of Nejd
  • Wadai Empire
  • Emirate of Jabal Shammar
  • Ethiopian Empire
  • Bornu Empire
  • Kingdom of Spain
  • Ashanti Empire
  • Free Orange State
  • Sultanate of Hobyo
  • Kingdom of Lunda
  • Republic of Liberia
  • Majeerteen Sultanate
  • Trucial States
  • Natalia Republic
  • Kingdom of Italy
  • People's Republic of Zanzibar
  • Zululand
  • First Hellenic Republic
  • Swaziland
  • Kingdom of Belgium
  • Kingdom of Great Britain
  • Nieuwe Republiek
  • Sultanate of Oman
  • Russian Empire
  • Qatar Dynasty
  • House of Khalifa

New on the map since 1860

British Africa · German Africa · British Colonial Empire · Emirate of Jabal Shammar · Sultanate of Hobyo · Kingdom of Italy · Swaziland · Kingdom of Belgium · Nieuwe Republiek · Sultanate of Oman · Russian Empire

Gone from the map by 1910

Sokoto Caliphate · Merina Kingdom · South African Republic · Bornu Empire · Ashanti Empire · Free Orange State · Sultanate of Hobyo · Kingdom of Lunda · Majeerteen Sultanate · Trucial States · People's Republic of Zanzibar · Zululand · Swaziland · Kingdom of Belgium · Nieuwe Republiek · Sultanate of Oman · Qatar Dynasty · House of Khalifa

Animated maps of this time

Africa in other years

Other regions in 1885

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.