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Historical map · 1942

Map of Asia in 1942

In 1942, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 39 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 1942. 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 1942 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1942
Atlas map: Pearl Harbor: The Roads Meet (1941)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE ROAD TO WAR, CHAPTER 12: PEARL HARBOR: THE ROADS MEET (1941)

States and empires in Asia in 1942

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia18.6 million km²20.6 million km²1922–1991
British Empire Wikipedia11.0 million km²17.5 million km²1706–1999
Republic of China5.8 million km²5.8 million km²1912–1949
British Africa Wikipedia5.0 million km²7.0 million km²1885–1960
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Empire of Japan Wikipedia4.2 million km²4.2 million km²1868–1946
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1800–1949
Netherlands Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1811–2024
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1924–1978
Ethiopia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1942–2024
Nazi Germany Wikipedia1.1 million km²3.0 million km²1933–1944
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
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
French Indochina Wikipedia727,000 km²763,000 km²1860–1957
Vichy France Wikipedia727,000 km²10.2 million km²1940–1944
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 km²693,000 km²1709–2024
Republic of Finland Wikipedia338,000 km²445,000 km²1918–2024
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia196,000 km²196,000 km²1920–1945
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia184,000 km²276,000 km²1919–1947
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Nepal Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia71,000 km²71,000 km²1636–2024
Free French Wikipedia64,000 km²2.4 million km²1940–1944
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia62,000 km²154,000 km²1909–1946
Communist-held China Wikipedia33,000 km²33,000 km²1928–1949
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia28,000 km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
Kingdom of Hungary Wikipedia11,000 km²174,000 km²1849–2024
Italian Africa Wikipedia6,550 km²1.5 million km²1890–1943
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia3,720 km²427,000 km²587–1946
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia1,440 km²7.8 million km²1905–2024
United States of America Wikipedia1,330 km²11.6 million km²1776–2024

"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 1940

New on the map: Ethiopia, Kingdom of Hungary.

Gone from the map: Kingdom of Norway, French Africa, Greece.

What comes next: 1945

Appear by 1945: East Turkestan Republic, French Fourth Republic, French Africa, Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Greece, Lebanon.

Gone by 1945: Dutch East Indies, Netherlands, Nazi Germany, Vichy France, Kingdom of Iraq, Free French, Kingdom of Hungary, Italian Africa, Kingdom of Italy.

Read the history of 1942

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 1942?

The map data draws 39 states and other polities in Asia in 1942. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the British Empire, the Republic of China, the British Africa and the British Raj.

What was the largest empire in Asia in 1942?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 20.6 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Asia in 1942 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1942, 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 1942