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Historical map · 1918

Map of Asia in 1918

In 1918, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 47 states, empires and other polities in Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), the British Empire and the Republic of China (Beiyang era). The British Empire reached well beyond Asia: its whole territory measured about 41.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Asia in 1918. 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 1918 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1918
Atlas map: October (Nov 1917)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 6: OCTOBER (NOV 1917)

States and empires in Asia in 1918

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments)15.8 million km²17.8 million km²1918–1919
British Empire Wikipedia12.0 million km²41.2 million km²1706–1999
Republic of China (Beiyang era)7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1912–1949
British Africa Wikipedia5.5 million km²10.4 million km²1885–1960
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia)2.5 million km²2.5 million km²1918–1919
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1800–1949
Netherlands Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.1 million km²1811–2024
Bogd Khanate of Mongolia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1912–1924
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1788–1923
Tibet Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.4 million km²1363–1952
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1305–1923
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1272–1935
Belgian Congo Wikipedia945,000 km²2.4 million km²1890–1962
French Third Republic Wikipedia823,000 km²13.3 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia757,000 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
Empire of Japan Wikipedia743,000 km²748,000 km²1868–1946
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
Italian Africa Wikipedia591,000 km²1.5 million km²1890–1943
German Empire Wikipedia558,000 km²1.4 million km²1871–1918
Siam Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1783–1931
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia462,000 km²462,000 km²1824–1925
Kingdom of Hejaz Wikipedia434,000 km²434,000 km²1916–1925
United Kingdom Wikipedia409,000 km²762,000 km²1709–2024
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia384,000 km²384,000 km²1512–1919
United States of America Wikipedia346,000 km²9.9 million km²1776–2024
Republic of Finland Wikipedia267,000 km²374,000 km²1918–2024
Emirate of Jabal Shammar Wikipedia245,000 km²245,000 km²1825–1921
Emirate of Bukhara Wikipedia219,000 km²219,000 km²1788–1919
Austria-Hungary Wikipedia166,000 km²929,000 km²1868–1918
Nepal Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Imamate of Oman Wikipedia104,000 km²104,000 km²1913–1919
Asir Wikipedia96,000 km²96,000 km²1917–1923
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic87,000 km²87,000 km²1918–1919
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia79,000 km²143,000 km²1909–1946
Georgia Wikipedia70,000 km²70,000 km²567–2024
French Africa Wikipedia64,000 km²11.3 million km²1846–1957
Poland (Second Polish Republic) Wikipedia51,000 km²51,000 km²1918–1939
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
Sultanate of Muscat and Oman Wikipedia34,000 km²34,000 km²1900–1969

Also on the map: Kingdom of Norway, Portuguese Republic, First Republic of Armenia, Greece, Kingdom of Italy, Commonwealth of Australia, Kingdom of Belgium.

"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 1914

New on the map: 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 from the map: Russian Empire, German Africa, Romania, Qatar.

What comes next: 1920

Appear by 1920: Republics of the Soviet Union, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, North Yemen, Kingdom of Romania, Republic of Latvia, Estonia, Republic of Lithuania.

Gone by 1920: Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia), Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, German Empire, Khanate of Khiva, Emirate of Bukhara, Austria-Hungary, Imamate of Oman, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, First Republic of Armenia.

Read the history of 1918

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 1918?

The map data draws 47 states and other polities in Asia in 1918. The largest by land were Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), the British Empire, the Republic of China (Beiyang era), the British Africa and the British Raj.

What was the largest empire in Asia in 1918?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 41.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Asia in 1918 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1918, 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 1918