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Historical map · 1930

Map of China and East Asia in 1930

In 1930, 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 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Mongolian People's Republic. The British Empire reached well beyond China and East Asia: its whole territory measured about 39.1 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East Asia in 1930. 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 1930 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1930
Atlas map: The Purge and the Nanjing Decade (1929)
FROM THE ATLAS · CHINA IN REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 5: THE PURGE AND THE NANJING DECADE (1929)

States and empires in China and East Asia in 1930

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Republic of China6.8 million km²7.9 million km²1912–1949
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia2.5 million km²21.5 million km²1922–1991
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
British Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²39.1 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia1.1 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Empire of Japan Wikipedia741,000 km²748,000 km²1868–1946
Tibet Wikipedia637,000 km²1.2 million km²1363–1952
Anti-Kuomintang Coalition Wikipedia557,000 km²557,000 km²1930–1931
French Third Republic Wikipedia457,000 km²13.4 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia457,000 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
Siam Wikipedia387,000 km²524,000 km²1783–1931
United States of America Wikipedia100,000 km²9.8 million km²1776–2024
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
Communist-held China Wikipedia39,000 km²39,000 km²1928–1949
Nepal Wikipedia1,850 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Portugal (military dictatorship) Wikipedia520 km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia460 km²32,000 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 1920

New on the map: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Mongolian People's Republic, Anti-Kuomintang Coalition, Communist-held China, Portugal (military dictatorship).

Gone from the map: Republics of the Soviet Union, Portuguese Republic.

What comes next: 1938

Appear by 1938: Kingdom of Siam.

Gone by 1938: Anti-Kuomintang Coalition, Siam, Kingdom of Belgium.

Read the history of 1930

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 1930?

The map data draws 17 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1930. The largest by land were the Republic of China, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Mongolian People's Republic, the British Empire and the British Raj.

What was the largest empire in China and East Asia in 1930?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 39.1 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 1930 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1930, 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 1930