Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1945

Map of Asia in 1945

In 1945, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 36 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 Empire of Japan.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Asia in 1945. 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 1945 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1945
Atlas map: Closing the Ring (Feb 1945)
FROM THE ATLAS · WW2, CHAPTER 13: CLOSING THE RING (FEB 1945)

States and empires in Asia in 1945

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia19.8 million km²22.0 million km²1922–1991
British Empire Wikipedia11.5 million km²18.5 million km²1706–1999
Empire of Japan Wikipedia6.4 million km²6.4 million km²1868–1946
British Africa Wikipedia5.7 million km²8.8 million km²1885–1960
Republic of China5.4 million km²5.4 million km²1912–1949
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
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
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
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
Kingdom of Thailand Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia421,000 km²8.2 million km²1905–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia412,000 km²678,000 km²1709–2024
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
United States of America Wikipedia295,000 km²11.9 million km²1776–2024
East Turkestan Republic Wikipedia273,000 km²273,000 km²1463–1949
Republic of Finland Wikipedia228,000 km²335,000 km²1918–2024
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia187,000 km²187,000 km²1920–1945
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Nepal Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia117,000 km²238,000 km²1919–1947
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia71,000 km²71,000 km²1636–2024
French Fourth Republic Wikipedia68,000 km²13.0 million km²1945–1957
French Africa Wikipedia64,000 km²11.7 million km²1846–1957
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia59,000 km²110,000 km²1909–1946
Communist-held China Wikipedia33,000 km²33,000 km²1928–1949
Kingdom of Norway Wikipedia31,000 km²418,000 km²1814–2024
Kingdom of Greece Wikipedia18,000 km²121,000 km²1945–1966
Lebanon9,810 km²9,810 km²1944–2024
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia8,580 km²2.2 million km²1926–2024

"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 1942

New on the map: East Turkestan Republic, French Fourth Republic, French Africa, Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Greece, Lebanon.

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

What comes next: 1950

Appear by 1950: People's Republic of China, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Dominion of Pakistan, Burma, Kingdom of Iraq, Territory of Papua and New Guinea (Australian), Japan, Republic of the Philippines, Second Syrian Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Romanian People's Republic, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Korea, Dominion of Ceylon, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of China, State of Israel.

Gone by 1950: Empire of Japan, Republic of China, British Raj, East Turkestan Republic, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Kingdom of Romania, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Communist-held China.

Read the history of 1945

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 1945?

The map data draws 36 states and other polities in Asia in 1945. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the British Empire, the Empire of Japan, the British Africa and the Republic of China.

What was the largest empire in Asia in 1945?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 22.0 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Asia in 1945 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1945, 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 1945