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Historical map · 1950

Map of Europe in 1950

In 1950, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 38 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 21.9 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe in 1950. 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 1950 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1950
Atlas map: High Stalinism (1949)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE SOVIET UNION UNDER STALIN, CHAPTER 11: HIGH STALINISM (1949)

States and empires in Europe in 1950

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia2.9 million km²21.9 million km²1922–1991
French Fourth Republic Wikipedia1.1 million km²13.8 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
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²980–2024
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
Italian Republic Wikipedia288,000 km²288,000 km²1946–2024
British Empire Wikipedia278,000 km²11.3 million km²1706–1999
United Kingdom Wikipedia277,000 km²692,000 km²1709–2024
Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia Wikipedia250,000 km²250,000 km²1919–1991
Federal Republic of Germany Wikipedia243,000 km²243,000 km²1949–1990
Romanian People's Republic Wikipedia238,000 km²238,000 km²1948–1989
Second Syrian Republic Wikipedia178,000 km²188,000 km²1946–1957
Kingdom of Iraq Wikipedia175,000 km²434,000 km²1932–1957
Czechoslovakia Wikipedia129,000 km²129,000 km²1919–1991
Kingdom of Greece Wikipedia122,000 km²122,000 km²1945–1966
German Democratic Republic Wikipedia112,000 km²112,000 km²1949–1990
Republic of Iceland Wikipedia111,000 km²111,000 km²1944–2024
People's Republic of Bulgaria Wikipedia109,000 km²109,000 km²1947–1990
Hungarian People's Republic Wikipedia92,000 km²92,000 km²1950–1989
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia92,000 km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
Second Republic of Austria Wikipedia85,000 km²85,000 km²1945–2024
Ireland75,000 km²75,000 km²1938–2024
Denmark Wikipedia66,000 km²2.3 million 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
People's Republic of Albania Wikipedia28,000 km²28,000 km²1946–1990
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia15,000 km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Lebanon9,840 km²9,840 km²1944–2024
Luxembourg2,290 km²2,290 km²1871–2024
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Wikipedia1,600 km²104,000 km²1947–2024
State of Israel Wikipedia700 km²22,000 km²1948–2024
West Berlin480 km²480 km²1949–1990
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 1945

New on the map: 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 from the map: 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.

What comes next: 1960

Appear by 1960: French Fifth Republic, United Arab Republic, Iraqi Republic, Morocco, Republic of Tunisia.

Gone by 1960: French Fourth Republic, French Africa, Second Syrian Republic, Kingdom of Iraq.

Read the history of 1950

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 1950?

The map data draws 38 states and other polities in Europe in 1950. 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 1950?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.9 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Europe in 1950 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1950, 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 1950