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Historical map · 1950

Map of China and East Asia in 1950

In 1950, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 20 states, empires and other polities in China and East Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the People's Republic of China, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Mongolian People's Republic. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached well beyond China and East Asia: its whole territory measured about 21.9 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East Asia in 1950. 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 1950 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1950
Atlas map: The People’s Republic (1949)
FROM THE ATLAS · CHINA IN REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 12: THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC (1949)

States and empires in China and East Asia in 1950

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
People's Republic of China Wikipedia7.4 million km²8.5 million km²1950–2024
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia2.5 million km²21.9 million km²1922–1991
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
Burma Wikipedia644,000 km²678,000 km²1820–2024
French Fourth Republic Wikipedia455,000 km²13.8 million km²1945–1957
French Indochina Wikipedia455,000 km²790,000 km²1860–1957
Japan411,000 km²411,000 km²1947–2024
Kingdom of Thailand Wikipedia387,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024
Tibet Wikipedia330,000 km²911,000 km²1363–1952
Republic of India Wikipedia278,000 km²3.1 million km²1947–2024
Dominion of Pakistan Wikipedia145,000 km²1.0 million km²1947–2024
Democratic People's Republic of Korea Wikipedia129,000 km²129,000 km²1948–2024
Republic of Korea103,000 km²103,000 km²1948–2024
Republic of the Philippines Wikipedia100,000 km²345,000 km²1947–2024
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia71,000 km²71,000 km²1636–2024
Republic of China41,000 km²41,000 km²1950–2024
British Empire Wikipedia2,840 km²11.3 million km²1706–1999
United States of America Wikipedia2,190 km²9.4 million km²1776–2024
Nepal Wikipedia1,850 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia520 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 1945

New on the map: People's Republic of China, Burma, Japan, Republic of India, Dominion of Pakistan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of China, Portugal (Estado Novo).

Gone from the map: Republic of China, Empire of Japan, British Raj, East Turkestan Republic, Communist-held China.

What comes next: 1960

Appear by 1960: Kingdom of Laos, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Republic of Vietnam, Kingdom of Cambodia.

Gone by 1960: French Fourth Republic, French Indochina, Tibet.

Read the history of 1950

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 1950?

The map data draws 20 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1950. The largest by land were the People's Republic of China, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Mongolian People's Republic, Burma and the French Fourth Republic.

What was the largest empire in China and East Asia in 1950?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.9 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 1950 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1950, 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 1950