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Historical map · 1920

Map of China and East Asia in 1920

In 1920, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 14 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 (Beiyang era), the Republics of the Soviet Union and the British Empire. The British Empire reached well beyond China and East Asia: its whole territory measured about 41.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East Asia in 1920. 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 1920 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1920
Atlas map: Warlords and May Fourth (1924)
FROM THE ATLAS · CHINA IN REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 3: WARLORDS AND MAY FOURTH (1924)

States and empires in China and East Asia in 1920

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Republic of China (Beiyang era)6.6 million km²7.6 million km²1912–1949
Republics of the Soviet Union Wikipedia2.5 million km²21.4 million km²1920–1921
British Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²41.0 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia1.1 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Empire of Japan Wikipedia922,000 km²928,000 km²1868–1946
Tibet Wikipedia786,000 km²1.4 million km²1363–1952
French Third Republic Wikipedia457,000 km²13.5 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia457,000 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
Siam Wikipedia387,000 km²524,000 km²1783–1931
United States of America Wikipedia100,000 km²9.9 million km²1776–2024
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
Nepal Wikipedia1,850 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Portuguese Republic Wikipedia520 km²2.2 million km²1911–1925
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia490 km²36,000 km²1830–2024

"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 1918

New on the map: Republics of the Soviet Union.

Gone from the map: Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), Bogd Khanate of Mongolia.

What comes next: 1930

Appear by 1930: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Mongolian People's Republic, Anti-Kuomintang Coalition, Communist-held China, Portugal (military dictatorship).

Gone by 1930: Republics of the Soviet Union, Portuguese Republic.

Read the history of 1920

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 1920?

The map data draws 14 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1920. The largest by land were the Republic of China (Beiyang era), the Republics of the Soviet Union, the British Empire, the British Raj and the Empire of Japan.

What was the largest empire in China and East Asia in 1920?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 41.0 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 1920 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1920, 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 1920