44 countries
Map of Africa in 1914
The colonial partition of Africa
Africa on the eve of the First World War: after the Berlin Conference (1884–1885), the European powers had carved up almost the whole continent, and many of their borders are still today's.
- Only Ethiopia and Liberia were independent.
- France and Britain held most of it; Germany had four colonies, Togoland, Kamerun, South West Africa and East Africa, all lost after the war.
- The Congo had been a Belgian colony since 1908, after years as King Leopold II's personal property.
- Morocco had just been split into French and Spanish protectorates (1912), and Italy had conquered Libya (1911–1912).
- The population figures on this map are estimates of the time: the quiz only uses them to rank.
How it is made: the coasts are today's, and the borders follow today's divisions where they match those of the time and, where they do not, lines drawn by hand, good to about 10 km. Shapes: Natural Earth (public domain). Compare with today's Africa →
Facts: the map of Africa in 1914
- On the map
- 44 countries · 3 are so small they show as a dot (complete level)
- Largest country
- French West Africa (≈ 4,689,000 km²)
- Smallest country
- British Seychelles (≈ 455 km²)
- Most populous country
- British Nigeria (≈ 17,000,000 people)
- Least populous country
- British Seychelles (≈ 24,000 people)
- Northernmost capital
- Tunis (Tunisia (French protectorate))
- Southernmost capital
- Maseru (Basutoland)
- Most neighbours
- French West Africa: 11
- No land border with another country on the map
- British Mauritius, British Seychelles, French Madagascar, Portuguese Cape Verde, and Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe
Fun facts: Map of Africa in 1914
- In 1914 only Ethiopia and Liberia were independent in all of Africa.
- At the Berlin Conference (1884–1885) the European powers set the rules for carving up Africa.
- Ethiopia defeated Italy at Adwa in 1896 and kept its independence.
- The First World War was also fought in Africa, in German colonies such as Cameroon and Tanganyika.
- Liberia was founded in the 19th century by freed slaves from the United States.
- South Africa had been formed in 1910 as a British dominion.
- The Congo was the personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium until 1908.
- Egypt became a British protectorate in December 1914.
Test yourself
Which was the largest country of Africa in 1914?
French West Africa.
Which was the most populous country of Africa in 1914?
British Nigeria.
Which was the smallest country of Africa in 1914?
British Seychelles.
Which was the least populous country of Africa in 1914?
British Seychelles.
More maps
The countries on the map of Africa in 1914, and what they are today
Today's countries that cover a good part of its land, largest share first.
Show the map with the names (to revise)
Show the table (44)
| Country | Capital | Today part of |
|---|---|---|
| Anglo-Egyptian Sudan | Khartoum | Sudan, South Sudan |
| Basutoland | Maseru | Lesotho |
| Bechuanaland | Mafeking | Botswana |
| Belgian Congo | Boma | DR Congo |
| British East Africa | Nairobi | Kenya, Somalia |
| British Gambia | Bathurst (Banjul) | Gambia |
| British Mauritius | Port Louis | Mauritius |
| British Nigeria | Lagos | Nigeria |
| British Seychelles | Victoria | Seychelles |
| British Sierra Leone | Freetown | Sierra Leone |
| British Somaliland | Berbera | Somalia |
| Egypt (under British rule) | Cairo | Egypt |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia |
| French Algeria | Algiers | Algeria |
| French Equatorial Africa | Brazzaville | Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Gabon |
| French Madagascar | Tananarive | Madagascar |
| French Morocco | Rabat | Morocco |
| French Somaliland | Djibouti | Djibouti |
| French West Africa | Dakar | Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Senegal, Benin |
| German East Africa | Dar es Salaam | Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda |
| German Kamerun | Buea | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Nigeria |
| German South West Africa | Windhoek | Namibia |
| German Togoland | Lomé | Togo, Ghana |
| Gold Coast | Accra | Ghana |
| Italian Eritrea | Asmara | Eritrea |
| Italian Libya | Tripoli | Libya |
| Italian Somaliland | Mogadishu | Somalia |
| Liberia | Monrovia | Liberia |
| Northern Rhodesia | Livingstone | Zambia |
| Nyasaland | Zomba | Malawi |
| Portuguese Angola | Luanda | Angola |
| Portuguese Cape Verde | Praia | Cape Verde |
| Portuguese East Africa | Lourenço Marques (Maputo) | Mozambique |
| Portuguese Guinea | Bolama | Guinea-Bissau |
| Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe | São Tomé | São Tomé and Príncipe |
| Southern Rhodesia | Salisbury (Harare) | Zimbabwe |
| Spanish Guinea | Santa Isabel (Malabo) | Equatorial Guinea |
| Spanish Morocco | Tetouan | Morocco |
| Spanish Sahara | Villa Cisneros | Morocco |
| Swaziland | Mbabane | Eswatini |
| Tunisia (French protectorate) | Tunis | Tunisia |
| Uganda Protectorate | Entebbe | Uganda |
| Union of South Africa | Pretoria | South Africa |
| Zanzibar | Zanzibar | Tanzania |