Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1990

Map of China and East Asia in 1990

In 1990, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 19 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 21.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East Asia in 1990. 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 1990 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1990
Atlas map: Gorbachev and the Unraveling (Nov 1989)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE COLD WAR, CHAPTER 11: GORBACHEV AND THE UNRAVELING (NOV 1989)

States and empires in China and East Asia in 1990

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 km²21.8 million km²1922–1991
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
Union of Myanmar Wikipedia644,000 km²678,000 km²1820–2024
Japan413,000 km²413,000 km²1947–2024
Kingdom of Thailand Wikipedia387,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024
Republic of India Wikipedia311,000 km²3.2 million km²1947–2024
Lao People's Democratic Republic Wikipedia230,000 km²230,000 km²1976–2024
Socialist Republic of Vietnam Wikipedia206,000 km²339,000 km²1976–2024
People's Republic of Bangladesh Wikipedia145,000 km²145,000 km²1972–2024
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 China41,000 km²41,000 km²1950–2024
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
State of Cambodia19,000 km²185,000 km²1989–1992
British Empire Wikipedia2,840 km²318,000 km²1706–1999
Nepal Wikipedia1,850 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Portugal Wikipedia520 km²97,000 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 1980

New on the map: State of Cambodia.

Gone from the map: People's Republic of Kampuchea.

What comes next: 2000

Appear by 2000: Russian Federation, Mongolia, Kingdom of Cambodia.

Gone by 2000: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Mongolian People's Republic, State of Cambodia, British Empire, Portugal.

Read the history of 1990

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 1990?

The map data draws 19 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1990. The largest by land were the People's Republic of China, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Mongolian People's Republic, the Union of Myanmar and Japan.

What was the largest empire in China and East Asia in 1990?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.8 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 1990 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1990, 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 1990