Geographic History

World map in 1980

154 states share the map in 1980. The largest by mapped area are Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United States of America and People's Republic of China.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is the largest state on the map in 1980, a position it has held since 1920 (before that: United Kingdom). It stays in first place until 1991, when Russian Federation takes over. The five largest states hold 44% of all land with a recorded ruler. Nearly all land on the map has a recorded state. The number of states is about the same as in 1975: 154 against 148.

Historical map of the world in 1980 showing the borders of states and empires
Explore this map in the app
The world in 1980, colored by ruling state. Grey land has no state recorded in the dataset.

Largest states in 1980

StateMapped areaProvinces
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics22 million km²284
United States of America9.4 million km²221
People's Republic of China9.4 million km²159
Canada8.9 million km²90
Brazil8.6 million km²83
Australia7.7 million km²37
India3.2 million km²126
Argentina2.7 million km²38
Sudan2.5 million km²25
Dem. Rep. Congo2.3 million km²13

What changed since 1975

  • On the map, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan takes the place of Republic of Afghanistan (about 650 thousand km²).
  • On the map, Vietnam takes the place of North Vietnam (about 340 thousand km²).
  • On the map, People's Republic of Kampuchea takes the place of Democratic Kampuchea (about 190 thousand km²).
  • Apart from that, 9 provinces changed hands between 1975 and 1980.
  • Suriname gained about 140 thousand km², mostly from Netherlands.
  • Solomon Islands gained about 34 thousand km², mostly from United Kingdom.
  • Indonesia gained about 29 thousand km², mostly from Portugal.
  • New on the map: Suriname, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia and Comores.

Battles, 1980 - 1988

  • 1980Khorramshahr
    Iraq-Iran War - won by Iraq
  • 1980Abadan
    Iraq-Iran War
  • 1981Abadan
    Iraq-Iran War - won by Iran
  • 1982Basra
    Iran-Iraq War - won by Iraq
  • 1982Beirut
    Lebanon Civil War - won by Israel
  • 1982Khorramshahr
    Iraq-Iran War - won by Iran
  • 1982San Carlos, Falklands
    Falklands War - won by United Kingdom
  • 1984Basra
    Iraq-Iran War - won by Iraq
  • 1985Basra
    Iran-Iraq War - won by Iraq
  • 1986Alfarrobeira
    Portuguese War - won by Aflonso V
  • 1986Al Faw
    Iraq-Iran War - won by Iran
  • 1987Basra
    Iran-Iraq War - won by Iraq

Empire maps for this period

More world maps

Every year has a map

Drag a timeline across 2,500 years in the free Geographic History app - every province, ruler and battle, also offline.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play