Independence and modern Africa 1957–today

African states win independence and South Africa ends apartheid.

Map of Africa in 1994, during the Independence and modern Africa — Border map for 1994. See the world in 1994.

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<p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Interactive map: <a href="https://chronicamaps.com/en/era/independence-and-modern-africa">Independence and modern Africa 1957–today</a> · Chronica Maps</p>

Border maps in this era

Timeline

Year	Event	Where
1960	The Year of Africa: seventeen African states become independent	Lagos
1964	Nelson Mandela is imprisoned on Robben Island	Robben Island
1994	South Africa's first multiracial election	Johannesburg

Battles and sites

Robben Island · 1964

← Scramble for Africa and colonial rule

Notable people of the Independence and modern Africa

Lived	Person
1892 – 1975	Haile Selassie I	Emperor of Ethiopia
c. 1897 – 1978	Jomo Kenyatta	First president of Kenya
1909 – 1972	Kwame Nkrumah	First leader of Ghana
1918 – 2013	Nelson Mandela	President of South Africa

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.