PastlasHistorical atlas

Year

The world in 1972

In 1972 the atlas holds 251 states standing across 6 regions. 42 things began that year - Sri Lanka, Munich massacre and Bloody Sunday among them - and 4 ended; 76 people were born and 83 died.

Only what Wikidata dates to the year is counted here; a thing dated to its decade is on the 1970s page, and to its century on the 20th century.

What began in 1972

By kind, the best known first; a war or a state is listed in the year it began.

States 8

Wars and battles 8

Regime change 5

Unrest and atrocity 10

Famine and plague 1

Natural disasters 2

Treaties 7

Works and ideas 1

What ended in 1972

States that fell or were replaced, and wars and other things that ran past the year they began.

States 3

Wars and battles 1

Born and died

By how many Wikipedias write about them.

Born in 1972 76

and 60 more in the atlas.

Died in 1972 83

and 67 more in the atlas.

Standing in 1972

The states the atlas holds as standing that year, by region, the best known first, with who held the highest office where the record dates it.

Europe: 64 statesEurope64Middle East and North Africa: 45 statesMiddle East and North Africa45Sub-Saharan Africa: 41 statesSub-Saharan Africa41South Asia: 24 statesSouth Asia24East and Southeast Asia: 35 statesEast and Southeast Asia35Americas and Oceania: 41 statesAmericas and Oceania41Location unknown: 1 statesLocation unknown1

Europe64 states

and 54 more; every state of Europe.

Middle East and North Africa45 states

and 35 more; every state of Middle East and North Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa41 states

and 31 more; every state of Sub-Saharan Africa.

South Asia24 states

and 14 more; every state of South Asia.

East and Southeast Asia35 states

and 25 more; every state of East and Southeast Asia.

Americas and Oceania41 states

and 31 more; every state of Americas and Oceania.

Location unknown1 state

Open in the atlas

  • On the timeline, 1947 – 1997: every state, war and life of 1972 and the years either side, region by region.
  • On the map in 1972: the borders of the year, its cities under their names of the year, and what happened where.

Wikidata (CC0) · data built 2026-10-07 · Pastlas v2.13.1, by Oleh Voronko. The published atlas and its data are for non-commercial use.