French Africa: Map & History
The second largest colonial empire of the 19th and 20th centuries, spanning 11.5 million km² across West and Equatorial Africa, Indochina, and the Maghreb.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
French Africa includes all the historic holdings of France on the African continent.
Modern Countries Once Part of French Africa
At its mapped extent, French Africa covered territory in 21 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Burkina Faso1905–1957 CE · nearly all
- Mali1880–1957 CE · nearly all
- Chad1900–1957 CE · nearly all
- Niger1900–1957 CE · nearly all
- Benin1885–1957 CE · nearly all
- Togo1915–1957 CE · nearly all
- Djibouti1890–1957 CE · nearly all
- Comoros1846–1957 CE · nearly all
- Guinea1885–1957 CE · nearly all
- Côte d'Ivoire1890–1957 CE · nearly all
- Gabon1849–1957 CE · nearly all
- Mauritania1859–1957 CE · nearly all
- Republic of the Congo1880–1957 CE · most
- Senegal1880–1957 CE · most
- Algeria1848–1957 CE · most
- Central African Republic1890–1957 CE · most
- Madagascar1898–1957 CE · most
- Tunisia1885–1955 CE · most
- Cameroon1915–1957 CE · most
- Morocco1912–1955 CE · most
- Libya1944–1952 CE · a large part
States and Provinces
- Toliary, Madagascar
- Bamako, Mali
- Boke, Guinea
- Kayes, Mali
- Mahajanga, Madagascar
- Nzerekore, Guinea
- Adamaoua, Cameroon
- Centre, Cameroon
- Est, Cameroon
- Faranah, Guinea
- Kankan, Guinea
- Ségou, Mali
- Tamanghasset, Algeria
- Timbuktu, Mali
- Tiris Zemmour, Mauritania
- Wouleu-Ntem, Gabon
- Antsiranana, Madagascar
- Fianarantsoa, Madagascar
- Sud-Ouest, Cameroon
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside French Africa's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Interactive map
French Africa on the World War I map →
See French Africa’s territory change day by day from 3 August 1914, with every battle it fought.
Interactive map
French Third Republic on the World War II map →
See French Third Republic’s territory change day by day from 3 September 1939, with every battle it fought.
French Africa Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which French Africa appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Divided into the First Colonial Empire (New France in North America and the Caribbean) and the massive Second Colonial Empire forged after 1830 in North Africa (Algeria), West Africa (AOF), Equatorial Africa (AEF), and French Indochina. Following World War I under the League of Nations mandates, the French empire reached 11.5 million square kilometers, fundamentally shaping international diplomacy, the Napoleonic legal code, and the global Francophone community.
French Africa Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
French exploratory fleet enters the Saint Lawrence River.
Napoleon crowned Emperor; promulgation of the Civil Code.
Beginning of the creation of the Second French Colonial Empire in North Africa.
Empire reaches 11.5 million square kilometers across Africa, Indochina, and the Levant.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓Global dissemination of the Napoleonic Code, forming the base of civil law in over 80 countries
- ✓The worldwide Francophonie community comprising over 300 million French speakers
- ✓Diffusion of Enlightenment values, the metric measurement system, and human rights charters
- ✓Monumental urban architecture and civic boulevards replicated from Paris to Saigon and Dakar
French Africa: Frequently Asked Questions
When did French Africa exist?
French Africa is dated to 1534 CE – 1980 CE (Peak: 1920 CE), in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of French Africa?
The capital of French Africa was Paris.
How large was French Africa at its peak?
At its peak in 1920 French Africa covered about 11,671,356 km².
How did the map of French Africa change over time?
French Africa appears on 4 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1850 CE to 1945 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Geographic Lifelines
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad