PastlasHistorical atlas

Year

The world in 1981

In 1981 the atlas holds 258 states standing across 6 regions. 31 things began that year - Belize, Antigua and Barbuda and Pan among them - and 2 ended; 42 people were born and 60 died.

Only what Wikidata dates to the year is counted here; a thing dated to its decade is on the 1980s page, and to its century on the 20th century.

What began in 1981

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

States 3

Wars and battles 8

Regime change 1

Unrest and atrocity 13

and 3 more in the atlas.

Treaties 2

Works and ideas 4

What ended in 1981

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

States 1

Wars and battles 1

Born and died

By how many Wikipedias write about them.

Born in 1981 42

and 26 more in the atlas.

Died in 1981 60

and 44 more in the atlas.

Standing in 1981

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: 60 statesEurope60Middle East and North Africa: 42 statesMiddle East and North Africa42Sub-Saharan Africa: 48 statesSub-Saharan Africa48South Asia: 21 statesSouth Asia21East and Southeast Asia: 34 statesEast and Southeast Asia34Americas and Oceania: 52 statesAmericas and Oceania52Location unknown: 1 statesLocation unknown1

Europe60 states

and 50 more; every state of Europe.

Middle East and North Africa42 states

and 32 more; every state of Middle East and North Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa48 states

and 38 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 Oceania52 states

and 42 more; every state of Americas and Oceania.

Location unknown1 state

Open in the atlas

  • On the timeline, 1956 – 2006: every state, war and life of 1981 and the years either side, region by region.
  • On the map in 1981: 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.