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Historical map · 1914

Map of Europe in 1914

In 1914, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 27 states, empires and other polities in Europe. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic and the Ottoman Empire. The British Empire reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 37.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1914. 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 1914 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1914
Atlas map: The Balkan Crises (Aug 1913)
FROM THE ATLAS · WWI, CHAPTER 2: THE BALKAN CRISES (AUG 1913)

States and empires in Europe in 1914

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Russian Empire Wikipedia3.4 million km²22.4 million km²1721–1916
French Third Republic Wikipedia1.1 million km²12.5 million km²1871–1939
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.9 million km²1305–1923
Austria-Hungary Wikipedia671,000 km²672,000 km²1868–1918
French Africa Wikipedia568,000 km²10.4 million km²1846–1957
German Empire Wikipedia555,000 km²815,000 km²1871–1918
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia509,000 km²854,000 km²1516–2024
Spanish Empire Wikipedia509,000 km²854,000 km²1516–1931
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²980–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia352,000 km²745,000 km²1709–2024
British Empire Wikipedia352,000 km²37.8 million km²1706–1999
Kingdom of Norway Wikipedia343,000 km²344,000 km²1814–2024
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia277,000 km²277,000 km²587–1946
Denmark Wikipedia159,000 km²159,000 km²1046–1940
Romania Wikipedia138,000 km²138,000 km²1859–1916
Greece Wikipedia114,000 km²114,000 km²1822–1940
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia112,000 km²112,000 km²1909–1946
Portuguese Republic Wikipedia92,000 km²2.2 million km²1911–1925
Serbia Wikipedia89,000 km²89,000 km²1805–1915
Swiss Confederation Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1294–2024
Netherlands Wikipedia38,000 km²2.1 million km²1811–2024
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia30,000 km²31,000 km²1830–2024
Albania Wikipedia28,000 km²28,000 km²1912–2024
Qajar Iran Wikipedia15,000 km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Montenegro Wikipedia14,000 km²14,000 km²1853–2024
Luxembourg2,400 km²2,400 km²1871–2024
Principality of Andorra Wikipedia380 km²380 km²1815–2024

"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 1910

New on the map: Portuguese Republic, Albania.

Gone from the map: Morocco, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Portugal.

What comes next: 1918

Appear by 1918: Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia), Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), Republic of Finland, Kingdom of Iceland, British Africa, Georgia, Poland (Second Polish Republic), Serbia, Kingdom of Hejaz, First Republic of Armenia, United States of America, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

Gone by 1918: Russian Empire, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Luxembourg.

Read the history of 1914

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Europe in 1914?

The map data draws 27 states and other polities in Europe in 1914. The largest by land were the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary and the French Africa.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 1914?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 37.8 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1914 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1914, 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.

Europe in other years

Other regions in 1914