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Historical map · 1920

Map of Europe in 1920

In 1920, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 40 states, empires and other polities in Europe. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Republics of the Soviet Union, the French Third Republic and the Ottoman Empire. The British Empire reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 41.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1920. 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 1920 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1920
Atlas map: The Borderlands’ Own Revolutions (Aug 1919)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 11: THE BORDERLANDS’ OWN REVOLUTIONS (AUG 1919)

States and empires in Europe in 1920

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Republics of the Soviet Union Wikipedia2.5 million km²21.4 million km²1920–1921
French Third Republic Wikipedia1.3 million km²13.5 million km²1871–1939
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia650,000 km²650,000 km²1305–1923
French Africa Wikipedia568,000 km²11.1 million km²1846–1957
British Empire Wikipedia522,000 km²41.0 million km²1706–1999
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia509,000 km²854,000 km²1516–2024
Spanish Empire Wikipedia509,000 km²854,000 km²1516–1931
Weimar Republic Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²1919–1932
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²980–2024
Republic of Finland Wikipedia374,000 km²374,000 km²1918–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia374,000 km²765,000 km²1709–2024
Second Polish Republic Wikipedia372,000 km²372,000 km²1918–1939
Kingdom of Norway Wikipedia343,000 km²344,000 km²1814–2024
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia300,000 km²300,000 km²1919–1947
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia299,000 km²299,000 km²587–1946
Yugoslavia Wikipedia246,000 km²246,000 km²1919–1991
Greece Wikipedia206,000 km²206,000 km²1822–1940
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia200,000 km²210,000 km²1920–1945
Czechoslovakia Wikipedia144,000 km²144,000 km²1919–1991
Kingdom of Iceland Wikipedia111,000 km²111,000 km²1918–1943
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia101,000 km²101,000 km²1909–1946
Kingdom of Hungary Wikipedia92,000 km²92,000 km²1849–2024
Portuguese Republic Wikipedia92,000 km²2.2 million km²1911–1925
Republic of Austria Wikipedia85,000 km²85,000 km²1919–1937
Republic of Latvia Wikipedia67,000 km²67,000 km²1920–2024
Republic of Lithuania Wikipedia60,000 km²60,000 km²1919–2024
Georgia Wikipedia56,000 km²73,000 km²567–2024
Estonia Wikipedia48,000 km²48,000 km²1919–2024
Denmark Wikipedia48,000 km²48,000 km²1046–1940
Swiss Confederation Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1294–2024
Netherlands Wikipedia38,000 km²2.1 million km²1811–2024
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia35,000 km²36,000 km²1830–2024
Albania Wikipedia28,000 km²28,000 km²1912–2024
Qajar Iran Wikipedia15,000 km²1.5 million km²1788–1923
United States of America Wikipedia6,760 km²9.9 million km²1776–2024
Free City of Danzig Wikipedia2,590 km²2,590 km²1809–1939
Luxembourg2,330 km²2,330 km²1871–2024
Klaipėda Region (Allied administration)2,300 km²2,300 km²1920–1922
British Africa Wikipedia1,300 km²10.1 million km²1885–1960
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 1918

New on the map: Republics of the Soviet Union, Weimar Republic, Kingdom of Romania, Yugoslavia, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Czechoslovakia, Kingdom of Hungary, Republic of Austria, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Estonia, Free City of Danzig, Luxembourg, Klaipėda Region (Allied administration).

Gone from the map: Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia), German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), Serbia, Kingdom of Hejaz, First Republic of Armenia, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

What comes next: 1930

Appear by 1930: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Republic of Turkey, Portugal (military dictatorship), Irish Free State, Pahlavi Iran, Greenland.

Gone by 1930: Republics of the Soviet Union, Ottoman Empire, Portuguese Republic, Georgia, Qajar Iran, United States of America, Klaipėda Region (Allied administration).

Read the history of 1920

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 1920?

The map data draws 40 states and other polities in Europe in 1920. The largest by land were the Republics of the Soviet Union, the French Third Republic, the Ottoman Empire, the French Africa and the British Empire.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 1920?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 41.0 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1920 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1920, 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 1920