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Historical map · 1970

Map of China and East Asia in 1970

In 1970, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 21 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 1970. 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 1970 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1970
Atlas map: Vietnam (Aug 1968)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE COLD WAR, CHAPTER 7: VIETNAM (AUG 1968)

States and empires in China and East Asia in 1970

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
People's Republic of China Wikipedia7.8 million km²9.4 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
Japan411,000 km²411,000 km²1947–2024
Kingdom of Thailand Wikipedia387,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024
Republic of India Wikipedia311,000 km²3.2 million km²1947–2024
Kingdom of Laos Wikipedia217,000 km²217,000 km²1954–1975
Democratic Republic of Vietnam Wikipedia158,000 km²158,000 km²1954–1975
Islamic Republic of Pakistan Wikipedia145,000 km²1.0 million km²1947–2024
Democratic People's Republic of Korea Wikipedia127,000 km²127,000 km²1948–2024
Republic of Korea105,000 km²105,000 km²1948–2024
Republic of the Philippines Wikipedia100,000 km²345,000 km²1947–2024
Republic of Vietnam48,000 km²181,000 km²1956–1975
Republic of China41,000 km²41,000 km²1950–2024
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
Khmer Republic16,000 km²181,000 km²1970–1975
British Empire Wikipedia2,840 km²627,000 km²1706–1999
United States of America Wikipedia2,280 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 1960

New on the map: Khmer Republic.

Gone from the map: Kingdom of Cambodia.

What comes next: 1980

Appear by 1980: Lao People's Democratic Republic, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, People's Republic of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Kampuchea.

Gone by 1980: Kingdom of Laos, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Republic of Vietnam, Khmer Republic, United States of America.

Read the history of 1970

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 1970?

The map data draws 21 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1970. The largest by land were the People's Republic of China, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Mongolian People's Republic, Burma and Japan.

What was the largest empire in China and East Asia in 1970?

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 1970 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1970, 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 1970