Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1914

Map of China and East Asia in 1914

In 1914, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 17 states, empires and other polities in China and East Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Republic of China, the Russian Empire and the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia. The British Empire reached well beyond China and East Asia: its whole territory measured about 37.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East 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 China and East Asia in 1914

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Republic of China7.4 million km²8.4 million km²1912–1949
Russian Empire Wikipedia2.5 million km²22.4 million km²1721–1916
Bogd Khanate of Mongolia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1912–1924
British Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²37.8 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia1.1 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Empire of Japan Wikipedia740,000 km²746,000 km²1868–1946
French Third Republic Wikipedia457,000 km²12.5 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia457,000 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
Siam Wikipedia387,000 km²524,000 km²1783–1931
Tibet Wikipedia327,000 km²909,000 km²1363–1952
United States of America Wikipedia100,000 km²9.8 million km²1776–2024
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
German Empire Wikipedia2,270 km²815,000 km²1871–1918
Nepal Wikipedia1,850 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Portuguese Republic Wikipedia520 km²2.2 million km²1911–1925
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia490 km²31,000 km²1830–2024
Austria-Hungary Wikipedia320 km²672,000 km²1868–1918

"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, Portuguese Republic.

Gone from the map: Qing Dynasty, Korean Empire, Portuguese Empire.

What comes next: 1918

Appear by 1918: Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments).

Gone by 1918: Russian Empire, German Empire, Austria-Hungary.

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 China and East Asia in 1914?

The map data draws 17 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1914. The largest by land were the Republic of China, the Russian Empire, the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, the British Empire and the British Raj.

What was the largest empire in China and East 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 China and East 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.

China in other years

Other regions in 1914