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Historical map · 1940

Map of Asia in 1940

In 1940, 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 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the British Empire and the Republic of China.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Asia in 1940. 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 1940 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1940
Atlas map: Propaganda and the Cult (1939)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE SOVIET UNION UNDER STALIN, CHAPTER 8: PROPAGANDA AND THE CULT (1939)

States and empires in Asia in 1940

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia19.7 million km²21.8 million km²1922–1991
British Empire Wikipedia10.3 million km²16.9 million km²1706–1999
Republic of China5.8 million km²5.8 million km²1912–1949
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
British Africa Wikipedia4.2 million km²6.3 million km²1885–1960
Empire of Japan Wikipedia3.4 million km²3.4 million km²1868–1946
Netherlands Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.1 million km²1811–2024
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1800–1949
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
Italian Africa Wikipedia1.9 million km²3.5 million km²1890–1943
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
Kingdom of Egypt Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1922–1952
Belgian Congo Wikipedia945,000 km²2.4 million km²1890–1962
Tibet Wikipedia911,000 km²911,000 km²1363–1952
Vichy France Wikipedia780,000 km²11.0 million km²1940–1944
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
French Indochina Wikipedia758,000 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
Kingdom of Thailand Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024
Kingdom of Iraq Wikipedia434,000 km²434,000 km²1932–1957
United Kingdom Wikipedia426,000 km²691,000 km²1709–2024
United States of America Wikipedia346,000 km²9.8 million km²1776–2024
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
Republic of Finland Wikipedia237,000 km²344,000 km²1918–2024
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia196,000 km²196,000 km²1920–1945
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Nepal Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia125,000 km²245,000 km²1919–1947
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia71,000 km²71,000 km²1636–2024
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia51,000 km²102,000 km²1909–1946
Free French Wikipedia42,000 km²1.7 million km²1940–1944
Nazi Germany Wikipedia35,000 km²1.6 million km²1933–1944
Communist-held China Wikipedia33,000 km²33,000 km²1928–1949
Kingdom of Norway Wikipedia31,000 km²418,000 km²1814–2024
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia28,000 km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
French Africa Wikipedia22,000 km²9.5 million km²1846–1957
Greece Wikipedia15,000 km²118,000 km²1822–1940
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia2,780 km²326,000 km²587–1946
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia1,440 km²7.8 million km²1905–2024

"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 1939

New on the map: Vichy France, Free French.

Gone from the map: French Third Republic, Second Polish Republic, Republic of Latvia, Estonia, Republic of Lithuania.

What comes next: 1942

Appear by 1942: Ethiopia, Kingdom of Hungary.

Gone by 1942: Kingdom of Norway, French Africa, Greece.

Read the history of 1940

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 1940?

The map data draws 40 states and other polities in Asia in 1940. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the British Empire, the Republic of China, the British Raj and the British Africa.

What was the largest empire in Asia in 1940?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.8 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Asia in 1940 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1940, 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 1940