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Historical map · 1942

Map of Europe in 1942

In 1942, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 24 states, empires and other polities in Europe. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were Nazi Germany, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Vichy France. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 20.6 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1942. 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 1942 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1942
Atlas map: Pearl Harbor: The Roads Meet (1941)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE ROAD TO WAR, CHAPTER 12: PEARL HARBOR: THE ROADS MEET (1941)

States and empires in Europe in 1942

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Nazi Germany Wikipedia3.0 million km²3.0 million km²1933–1944
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia1.5 million km²20.6 million km²1922–1991
Vichy France Wikipedia835,000 km²10.2 million km²1940–1944
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
French Africa Wikipedia568,000 km²8.7 million km²1846–1957
Francoist Spain Wikipedia509,000 km²854,000 km²1939–1975
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia455,000 km²455,000 km²980–2024
Republic of Finland Wikipedia445,000 km²445,000 km²1918–2024
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia427,000 km²427,000 km²587–1946
British Empire Wikipedia281,000 km²17.5 million km²1706–1999
United Kingdom Wikipedia279,000 km²693,000 km²1709–2024
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia276,000 km²276,000 km²1919–1947
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia187,000 km²196,000 km²1920–1945
Kingdom of Iraq Wikipedia176,000 km²434,000 km²1932–1957
Kingdom of Hungary Wikipedia174,000 km²174,000 km²1849–2024
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia154,000 km²154,000 km²1909–1946
Kingdom of Iceland Wikipedia111,000 km²111,000 km²1918–1943
Independent State of Croatia Wikipedia96,000 km²96,000 km²1941–1944
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia92,000 km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
Éire (Ireland)75,000 km²75,000 km²1938–2024
Swiss Confederation Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1294–2024
United States of America Wikipedia12,000 km²11.6 million km²1776–2024
British Africa Wikipedia2,700 km²7.0 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 1940

New on the map: Independent State of Croatia, United States of America.

Gone from the map: Kingdom of Norway, Yugoslavia, Greece, Netherlands, Pahlavi Iran, Greenland, Denmark.

What comes next: 1945

Appear by 1945: French Fourth Republic, Allied-occupied Germany, Kingdom of Norway, Republic of Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Kingdom of Greece, Republic of Iceland, Second Republic of Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Kingdom of Belgium, Albania, Lebanon, Luxembourg.

Gone by 1945: Nazi Germany, Vichy France, Kingdom of Iraq, Kingdom of Iceland, Independent State of Croatia.

Read the history of 1942

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 1942?

The map data draws 24 states and other polities in Europe in 1942. The largest by land were Nazi Germany, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Vichy France, the Republic of Turkey and the French Africa.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 1942?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 20.6 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1942 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1942, 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 1942