Decolonisation in Asia and Africa (1945–1975) – map by year
History20th Century & TodayAges 14–15
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Sign in to playA hand-drawn map of Asia and Africa with a year slider from 1945 to 1975: countries are coloured by the year they became independent or by their former colonial power, with a chart of independent states over time. Key moments include India and Pakistan (1947), Indonesia, Ghana (1957), the Year of Africa (1960), Algeria (1962) and the Portuguese colonies (1975). Click a country to see its date of independence.
Lesson: Decolonisation and the end of colonial empires in Asia and Africa
What it shows
After the Second World War the European colonial empires were weakened, while national liberation movements grew stronger. In about thirty years most of Asia and Africa became independent: some colonies through negotiation, others after long wars, as in Indonesia, Indochina, Algeria and the Portuguese colonies. The first wave came in South and Southeast Asia in the late 1940s, the largest in Africa around 1960, when seventeen states became independent in a single year. By 1975 only a few territories, such as Namibia and Rhodesia, were still under colonial or minority rule.
How to use
Press Run or drag Year and watch the map fill in. With Colour by: Year of independence you see the waves of independence; switch to Former colonial power to compare Britain, France, Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands. Use Africa and Asia to zoom in, click a country to read its independence date and former ruler, and click yellow dots for events such as the Bandung Conference. Compare the Africa and Asia lines of the chart.
Parameters you can change
- Starting year on the timeline 1945–1975 year
- Colour countries by Year of independence, Former colonial power
- Map area Asia and Africa, Africa, Asia
- Timeline playback speed 1–5 years/s
- Show event labels on the map
Questions to explore
- Why is 1960 called the Year of Africa?
- Why did Portugal's colonies become independent later than most British and French colonies?
- How do the waves of independence differ between Asia and Africa on the chart?
