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Historical map · 1914

Map of Asia in 1914

In 1914, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 40 states, empires and other polities in Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Russian Empire, the British Empire and the Republic of China. The British Empire reached well beyond Asia: its whole territory measured about 37.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Asia in 1914. Zoom in, move the year slider to watch the borders change, or ask the history guide a question and it draws the answer on the map.

OPEN 1914 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1914
Atlas map: Yuan Shikai’s Republic (1915)
FROM THE ATLAS · CHINA IN REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 2: YUAN SHIKAI’S REPUBLIC (1915)

States and empires in Asia in 1914

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Russian Empire Wikipedia20.1 million km²22.4 million km²1721–1916
British Empire Wikipedia10.4 million km²37.8 million km²1706–1999
Republic of China8.4 million km²8.4 million km²1912–1949
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
British Africa Wikipedia4.4 million km²8.3 million km²1885–1960
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1800–1949
Netherlands Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.1 million km²1811–2024
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1305–1923
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Bogd Khanate of Mongolia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1912–1924
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1272–1935
German Africa Wikipedia910,000 km²2.7 million km²1871–1918
Tibet Wikipedia909,000 km²909,000 km²1363–1952
Belgian Congo Wikipedia894,000 km²2.4 million km²1890–1962
French Third Republic Wikipedia822,000 km²12.5 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia758,000 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
Empire of Japan Wikipedia740,000 km²746,000 km²1868–1946
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
Italian Africa Wikipedia591,000 km²1.5 million km²1890–1943
Siam Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1783–1931
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia455,000 km²455,000 km²1824–1925
United Kingdom Wikipedia404,000 km²745,000 km²1709–2024
United States of America Wikipedia346,000 km²9.8 million km²1776–2024
German Empire Wikipedia210,000 km²815,000 km²1871–1918
Nepal Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Imamate of Oman Wikipedia104,000 km²104,000 km²1913–1919
Romania Wikipedia103,000 km²138,000 km²1859–1916
Emirate of Jabal Shammar Wikipedia84,000 km²84,000 km²1825–1921
French Africa Wikipedia64,000 km²10.4 million km²1846–1957
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia57,000 km²112,000 km²1909–1946
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
Austria-Hungary Wikipedia39,000 km²672,000 km²1868–1918
Kingdom of Norway Wikipedia31,000 km²344,000 km²1814–2024
Portuguese Republic Wikipedia28,000 km²2.2 million km²1911–1925
Sultanate of Muscat and Oman Wikipedia21,000 km²21,000 km²1900–1969
Qatar Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1820–2024
Greece Wikipedia9,420 km²114,000 km²1822–1940
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia2,810 km²277,000 km²587–1946
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia1,440 km²7.8 million km²1905–2024
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia490 km²31,000 km²1830–2024

"In the data" gives the first and last year the dataset draws the state under this identity; states often existed earlier or later in another form.

What changed since 1910

New on the map: Republic of China, Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, Tibet, Imamate of Oman, Portuguese Republic, Qatar, Kingdom of Italy.

Gone from the map: Qing Dynasty, Korean Empire, Sultanate of Aceh, Portuguese Empire, Sultanate of Kedah, Kingdom of Portugal, Kedah-Perlis District, Ottoman Tripolitania.

What comes next: 1918

Appear by 1918: Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia), Kingdom of Hejaz, Khanate of Khiva, Republic of Finland, Emirate of Bukhara, Asir, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Georgia, Poland (Second Polish Republic), First Republic of Armenia.

Gone by 1918: Russian Empire, German Africa, Romania, Qatar.

Read the history of 1914

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Asia in 1914?

The map data draws 40 states and other polities in Asia in 1914. The largest by land were the Russian Empire, the British Empire, the Republic of China, the British Raj and the British Africa.

What was the largest empire in Asia in 1914?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 37.8 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Asia in 1914 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1914, zoom into any region, move through the years, and ask the history guide questions: it answers in plain words and draws places, armies and borders on the map.

About these borders

The borders come from Cliopatria (v0.2.1, Seshat Global History Databank, CC BY 4.0), the dataset behind our interactive map, with our audited name and border corrections. It records each state's territory year by year from 3400 BC to 2024. Borders before modern surveys are reconstructions: the data draws a state where it held control, and frontier zones, nomadic realms and loose overlordships are approximate. Areas are measured on an equal-area projection. Read how we make our maps.

Asia in other years

Other regions in 1914