PastlasHistorical atlas

Year

The world in 1978

In 1978 the atlas holds 256 states standing across 6 regions. 29 things began that year - Dominica, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands among them - and 6 ended; 38 people were born and 64 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 1978

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

States 4

Wars and battles 9

Regime change 2

Unrest and atrocity 9

Natural disasters 1

Treaties 3

Works and ideas 1

What ended in 1978

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

States 3

Wars and battles 3

Born and died

By how many Wikipedias write about them.

Born in 1978 38

and 22 more in the atlas.

Died in 1978 64

and 48 more in the atlas.

Standing in 1978

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: 61 statesEurope61Middle East and North Africa: 44 statesMiddle East and North Africa44Sub-Saharan Africa: 49 statesSub-Saharan Africa49South Asia: 21 statesSouth Asia21East and Southeast Asia: 34 statesEast and Southeast Asia34Americas and Oceania: 45 statesAmericas and Oceania45Location unknown: 2 statesLocation unknown2

Europe61 states

and 51 more; every state of Europe.

Middle East and North Africa44 states

and 34 more; every state of Middle East and North Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa49 states

and 39 more; every state of Sub-Saharan Africa.

South Asia21 states

and 11 more; every state of South Asia.

East and Southeast Asia34 states

and 24 more; every state of East and Southeast Asia.

Americas and Oceania45 states

and 35 more; every state of Americas and Oceania.

Location unknown2 states

Open in the atlas

  • On the timeline, 1953 – 2003: every state, war and life of 1978 and the years either side, region by region.
  • On the map in 1978: 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.