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Historical map · 1945

Map of Europe in 1945

In 1945, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 34 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 Fourth Republic and the Republic of Turkey. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 22.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1945. 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 1945 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1945
Atlas map: Closing the Ring (Feb 1945)
FROM THE ATLAS · WW2, CHAPTER 13: CLOSING THE RING (FEB 1945)

States and empires in Europe in 1945

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia2.9 million km²22.0 million km²1922–1991
French Fourth Republic Wikipedia1.1 million km²13.0 million km²1945–1957
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
French Africa Wikipedia568,000 km²11.7 million km²1846–1957
Francoist Spain Wikipedia510,000 km²855,000 km²1939–1975
British Empire Wikipedia456,000 km²18.5 million km²1706–1999
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²980–2024
Allied-occupied Germany356,000 km²356,000 km²1945–1948
Kingdom of Norway Wikipedia343,000 km²418,000 km²1814–2024
Republic of Finland Wikipedia335,000 km²335,000 km²1918–2024
Republic of Poland313,000 km²313,000 km²1945–1989
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia288,000 km²289,000 km²587–1946
United Kingdom Wikipedia278,000 km²678,000 km²1709–2024
Yugoslavia Wikipedia249,000 km²249,000 km²1919–1991
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia238,000 km²238,000 km²1919–1947
British Africa Wikipedia179,000 km²8.8 million km²1885–1960
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia177,000 km²187,000 km²1920–1945
Czechoslovakia Wikipedia129,000 km²129,000 km²1919–1991
Kingdom of Greece Wikipedia121,000 km²121,000 km²1945–1966
Republic of Iceland Wikipedia111,000 km²111,000 km²1944–2024
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia110,000 km²110,000 km²1909–1946
Kingdom of Hungary Wikipedia92,000 km²92,000 km²1849–2024
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia92,000 km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
Second Republic of Austria Wikipedia85,000 km²85,000 km²1945–2024
Éire (Ireland)75,000 km²75,000 km²1938–2024
Denmark Wikipedia53,000 km²53,000 km²1333–2024
Swiss Confederation Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1294–2024
Netherlands Wikipedia38,000 km²76,000 km²1811–2024
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia31,000 km²31,000 km²1830–2024
Albania Wikipedia28,000 km²28,000 km²1912–2024
United States of America Wikipedia13,000 km²11.9 million km²1776–2024
Lebanon9,810 km²9,810 km²1944–2024
Luxembourg2,290 km²2,290 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 1942

New on the map: 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 from the map: Nazi Germany, Vichy France, Kingdom of Iraq, Kingdom of Iceland, Independent State of Croatia.

What comes next: 1950

Appear by 1950: Italian Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, Romanian People's Republic, Second Syrian Republic, Kingdom of Iraq, German Democratic Republic, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Hungarian People's Republic, People's Republic of Albania, Pahlavi Iran, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, State of Israel, West Berlin.

Gone by 1950: Allied-occupied Germany, Kingdom of Italy, Kingdom of Romania, British Africa, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Kingdom of Hungary, Albania, United States of America.

Read the history of 1945

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 1945?

The map data draws 34 states and other polities in Europe in 1945. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the French Fourth Republic, the Republic of Turkey, the French Africa and Francoist Spain.

What was the largest empire in Europe in 1945?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 22.0 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1945 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1945, 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 1945