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 the list of national border changes (1815–1914). 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, and South Ossetia.

Over 40% of the world’s borders today were drawn as a result of British and French imperialism. The British and French drew the modern borders of the Middle East, the borders of Africa, in Asia after the independence of the British Raj and French Indochina and the borders of Europe after World War I as victors, as a result of the Paris treaties. [1][2][3] As a result of New Imperialism, the European countries with the most colonies throughout history were: the United Kingdom (130), France (90), Portugal (52), Spain (44), the Netherlands (29), Germany (20), Russia (17), Denmark (9), Sweden (8), Italy (7), Norway (6), and Belgium (3).[4]

Africa

  • 1919-1922— 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.[5] 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.[6]
  • 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.
    Italian East Africa was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
  • 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.[5]
  • 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.[7]
  • 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.[5]
  • 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.

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.
Post-war border changes in Central Europe and creation of the Communist Eastern Bloc
Regions of Ukraine annexed by Russia since 2014 (Crimea) and 2022 (Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia), with a red line marking the area of actual control by Russia on 30 September 2022.

North America

Oceania

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1986

South America

World maps showing borders

(Click to enlarge)

See also

References

  1. Manning, Patrick (1990). Slavery and African Life: Occidental, Oriental, and African Slave Trades. London: Cambridge University Press.
  2. Lovejoy, Paul E. (2012). Transformations of Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa. London: Cambridge University Press.
  3. Martin Klein, "Slave Descent and Social Status in Sahara and Sudan", in Reconfiguring Slavery: West African Trajectories, ed. Benedetta Rossi (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2009), 29.
  4. "A map of Europe based on how many colonies each country had". 2023-09-26. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  5. 1 2 3 "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
  6. "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
  7. "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
  8. "Qatar completes border demarcation with Saudi Arabia". Doha News. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  9. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ukraine-declares-its-independence
  10. "Treaty of Peace with Italy (volume 49, number 747, article 21)" (PDF). United Nations. Treaties and International Agreements Registered or Filed and Recorded with the Secretariat of the United Nations. 1950.
  11. "Convenzione tra la Confederazione Svizzera e la Repubblica Italiana concernente una modificazione di confine nella Valle di Lei" (pdf) (in Italian). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  12. 1 2 Bilefsky, Dan (28 November 2016). "Belgium and the Netherlands Swap Land, and Remain Friends". Retrieved 18 March 2019 via NYTimes.com.
  13. "Lithuanian-Russian 2003 Border Treaty and Land Swap". Jan S. Krogh's Geosite. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  14. Timeline: Papua New Guinea, BBC News Online, May 5, 2009
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