List of national border changes since World War I

Since World War I, there have been numerous changes in borders between nations, detailed below. For information on border changes from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to 1914, see List of national border changes from 1815 to 1914. Cases are only listed where there have been changes in borders, not necessarily including changes in ownership of a territory. For instance, many European colonies in Africa became independent without any adjustment to their borders, although some did have many changes. Also mentioned are some de facto changes, not recognized by the international community, such as Crimea, Artsakh, and South Ossetia.

Africa

  • 1919 — The treaty of Versailles divides Germany's African colonies into mandates of the victors (which largely become new colonies of the victors). Most of Cameroon becomes a French mandate with a small portion taken by the British and some territory incorporated into France's previously existing colonies; Togo is mostly taken by the British, though the French gain a slim portion; German East Africa was separated between Belgium (Rwanda and Burundi), Portugal (the Kionga Triangle) and the United Kingdom (Tanganyika, later merging with Zanzibar to form Tanzania); and German South-West Africa (Namibia) becomes a mandate of South Africa. In September, France settles its African colonial borders with Italian Libya. On September 8, following the signing of the Anglo-French Convention of September 8, 1919, the borders of Italian Libya and French Chad are settled to the present-day boundaries.[1] A few days later, the borders of western and southwestern Libya are extended to their current boundaries after French concessions with the Franco-Italian Arrangement of 12 September 1919.[2]
  • 1923 — the city of Tangier becomes an International Free Zone after France and Spain end their control over parts of the city.
  • 1924 — The UK cedes a portion of Jubaland to Italy (Trans-Juba, it. Oltregiuba) as a reward for the Italians having joined the Allies in World War I.
  • 1925 — The eastern borders of Libya and British Egypt are changed to their present boundaries, with the exception of parts of present-day southern Libya still remaining part of British Sudan.[1]
  • 1931 — France moves the control of the area of the present day Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Prefecture from the territory of Niger in French West Africa to Chad in French Equatorial Africa.[3]
  • 1934 — The borders of Libya are changed to their present-day boundaries after the Italo-British-Egyptian Agreement, British Sudan cedes northern territory to Libya.[1]
  • 1935 — The Franco-Italian Agreement cedes the Aouzou Strip from French Chad to Italian Libya.
  • 1936 — After the success of Italy during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, Ethiopia is annexed by Italy. Ethiopia joins with Eritrea and Italian Somaliland to form Italian East Africa. The international community does not accept Italy's occupation of Ethiopia and maintains relations with exiled Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.
  • World War II — With the outbreak of World War II, war arrives in Africa in 1940, with Italy joining the war, initially British forces in British Somaliland are defeated by the Italians coming from Italian East Africa and the territory is taken. However, by 1941, the British retake lost territory and take over Italian East Africa. In North Africa, after a period of retreat into Libya, Italian forces receive vital aid from the German army and the Germans move deep into Egypt by 1942, before beginning to lose ground. By 1943, The German and Italian forces retreat from Libya and capture Tunisia from France prior to fleeing to Sicily.
  • 1951 December 24 — The Kingdom of Libya becomes independent.
  • 1952 — After WWII, Ethiopia was granted Eritrea.
  • 1953, August 1 — Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland established from the British self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia and the British protectorates of Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland.
  • 1956, March 2 — French Morocco, the International Zone of Tangier, and most of Spanish Morocco join to become the independent nation of Morocco;
  • 1957 - March 6 - The United Kingdom annexes British Togoland and the Northern Territories protectorate as part of Her Majesty’s dominions in Ghana, a new independent country within the British Commonwealth.
  • 1957 — Tunisia gains independence.
  • 1958 — French West Africa splits into Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Dahomey (now Benin)
  • 1960 — Belgian Congo is granted independence as the Republic of the Congo. In 1964 it changes its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to differentiate itself from Congo-Brazzaville.
  • 1960, July 1 — State of Somaliland (formerly British Somaliland) joins with Italian Somaliland to form Somalia. French Equatorial Africa's interim successor, the Union of Central African Republics dissolves in August with independence of Chad (August 11), Oubangui-Chari (now Central African Republic) (August 13), Congo-Brazzaville (now the Republic of the Congo) (August 15), and Gabon (August 17).
  • 1961, May 31 — the northern two-thirds of British Cameroons joins Nigeria; October 1 — the southern third of British Cameroons joins with the Republic of Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. This year also the tiny Portuguese outpost of São João Baptista de Ajudá was annexed by Dahomey (now Benin)
  • 1962, July 1 — The Belgian colony of Ruanda-Urundi separated into Rwanda and Burundi.
  • 1962, September 25 — The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is formally proclaimed.
  • 1963, December 31 — Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland dissolved; over the next two years Nyasaland becomes independent Malawi, Northern Rhodesia wins independence as Zambia, and Southern Rhodesia (or simply Rhodesia) unilaterally declares independence.
    Morocco officially annexed Western Sahara in 1976
  • 1964, April 26 — Tanganyika unites with the island of Zanzibar to form Tanzania.
  • 1967, May 30 — The break-away state of Biafra is formed from southern Nigeria. Officially Biafra receives de jure acknowledgement of existence by only a few nations, but has the de facto support of France, Israel, Portugal, and South Africa which provide arms to the state in its war of independence against Nigeria.
  • 1969, January 4 — Spain returns Ifni to Morocco.
  • 1970, January 15 — Biafra is occupied and annexed by Nigeria.
  • 1975, December — Spanish Sahara divided de facto between Morocco and Mauritania (although Spain's formal mandate did not end until February 26, 1976). Western Sahara is de jure a non-self governing territory according to the UN. No country recognises this annexation.
  • 1977 September 1 — South African Government reimposed direct rule on Walvis Bay.
  • 1979 — Mauritania withdraws from southern Western Sahara, which is taken over by Morocco
  • 1990 — Namibia gets independence from occupying South Africa.
  • 1991, May 18 — Somaliland declares independence from Somalia but is not recognized by any other country.
  • 1993, May 24 — Eritrea breaks off from Ethiopia.
  • 1994, February 28 — Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands transferred by South Africa to Namibia.
  • 2008, August 14 — Bakassi transferred to Cameroon by Nigeria
  • 2011, July 9 — South Sudan formally obtains independence from the Republic of Sudan.

Asia

Europe

Map of territorial changes in Europe after World War I (as of 1923).
Changes in national boundaries after the end of the Cold War.

North America

Oceania

South America

  • 1938 — A ceasefire signed between Paraguay and Bolivia awards Paraguay three-quarters of the Chaco Boreal which it took over during the Chaco War (1932–35).
  • 1941 — The Rio Protocol recognises Peru as having control of the territory it won in the Ecuadorian–Peruvian war.

World maps showing borders

(Click to enlarge)

See also

References

  1. "International Boundary Study No. 10: Libya–Sudan Boundary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26., United States Department of State, October 16, 1961
  2. "International Boundary Study No. 1: Algeria–Libya banaba" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-09-09., United States Department of State, April 28, 1961
  3. "International Boundary Study No. 3 (Revised): Chad–Libya Boundary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-16., United States Department of State, December 15, 1978
  4. https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/unts/volume%2049/v49.pdf
  5. Bilefsky, Dan (28 November 2016). "Belgium and the Netherlands Swap Land, and Remain Friends". Retrieved 18 March 2019 via NYTimes.com.
  6. "Lithuanian-Russian 2003 Border Treaty and Land Swap". Jan S. Krogh's Geosite. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  7. "Treaty on Russian-Estonian border signed in Moscow". Sputnik News. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  8. "Latvia agrees to end border dispute with Russia". RT TV-Novosti. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  9. Timeline: Papua New Guinea, BBC News Online, May 5, 2009
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