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Historical map · 1939

Map of Europe in 1939

In 1939, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 35 states, empires and other polities in Europe. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the French Third Republic and the Republic of Turkey. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 21.3 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1939. 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 1939 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1939
Atlas map: China: The War Nobody Declared (1938)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE ROAD TO WAR, CHAPTER 6: CHINA: THE WAR NOBODY DECLARED (1938)

States and empires in Europe in 1939

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia2.5 million km²21.3 million km²1922–1991
French Third Republic Wikipedia1.3 million km²13.4 million km²1871–1939
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Nazi Germany Wikipedia696,000 km²697,000 km²1933–1944
French Africa Wikipedia568,000 km²11.1 million km²1846–1957
Francoist Spain Wikipedia509,000 km²854,000 km²1939–1975
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia455,000 km²455,000 km²980–2024
Republic of Finland Wikipedia374,000 km²374,000 km²1918–2024
Second Polish Republic Wikipedia373,000 km²373,000 km²1918–1939
Kingdom of Norway Wikipedia342,000 km²418,000 km²1814–2024
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia322,000 km²323,000 km²587–1946
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia300,000 km²300,000 km²1919–1947
British Empire Wikipedia280,000 km²17.1 million km²1706–1999
United Kingdom Wikipedia280,000 km²818,000 km²1709–2024
Yugoslavia Wikipedia246,000 km²246,000 km²1919–1991
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia187,000 km²196,000 km²1920–1945
Kingdom of Iraq Wikipedia176,000 km²434,000 km²1932–1957
Kingdom of Hungary Wikipedia122,000 km²122,000 km²1849–2024
Greece Wikipedia118,000 km²118,000 km²1822–1940
Kingdom of Iceland Wikipedia111,000 km²111,000 km²1918–1943
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia102,000 km²102,000 km²1909–1946
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia92,000 km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
Éire (Ireland)75,000 km²75,000 km²1938–2024
Republic of Latvia Wikipedia68,000 km²68,000 km²1920–2024
Republic of Lithuania Wikipedia60,000 km²60,000 km²1919–2024
Denmark Wikipedia53,000 km²53,000 km²1046–1940
Estonia Wikipedia48,000 km²48,000 km²1919–2024
Swiss Confederation Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1294–2024
Netherlands Wikipedia37,000 km²2.1 million km²1811–2024
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia31,000 km²31,000 km²1830–2024
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia15,000 km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Greenland Wikipedia12,000 km²2.2 million km²1734–1940
Free City of Danzig Wikipedia2,500 km²2,500 km²1809–1939
Luxembourg2,370 km²2,370 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 1938

New on the map: Francoist Spain.

Gone from the map: Spanish Nationalists, Second Spanish Republic, Czechoslovakia, Albania.

What comes next: 1940

Appear by 1940: Vichy France, British Africa.

Gone by 1940: French Third Republic, Second Polish Republic, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Estonia, Kingdom of Belgium, Free City of Danzig, Luxembourg.

Read the history of 1939

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 1939?

The map data draws 35 states and other polities in Europe in 1939. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the French Third Republic, the Republic of Turkey, Nazi Germany and the French Africa.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 1939?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.3 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1939 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1939, 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 1939