Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1914

Map of India and South Asia in 1914

In 1914, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 17 states, empires and other polities in India and South Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the British Empire, the British Raj and the Republic of China. The British Empire reached well beyond India and South Asia: its whole territory measured about 37.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on India and South Asia in 1914. 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 1914 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1914
Atlas map: The Great War’s Price (Nov 1916)
FROM THE ATLAS · INDIAN INDEPENDENCE & PARTITION, CHAPTER 5: THE GREAT WAR’S PRICE (NOV 1916)

States and empires in India and South Asia in 1914

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia4.9 million km²37.8 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Republic of China1.0 million km²8.4 million km²1912–1949
Tibet Wikipedia909,000 km²909,000 km²1363–1952
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia641,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
Qajar Iran Wikipedia327,000 km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Russian Empire Wikipedia168,000 km²22.4 million km²1721–1916
Nepal Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Netherlands Wikipedia103,000 km²2.1 million km²1811–2024
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia103,000 km²2.0 million km²1800–1949
Siam Wikipedia67,000 km²524,000 km²1783–1931
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
Imamate of Oman Wikipedia13,000 km²104,000 km²1913–1919
Portuguese Republic Wikipedia5,240 km²2.2 million km²1911–1925
French Third Republic Wikipedia1,100 km²12.5 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia1,100 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
Sultanate of Muscat and Oman Wikipedia720 km²21,000 km²1900–1969

"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 1910

New on the map: Republic of China, Tibet, Imamate of Oman, Portuguese Republic.

Gone from the map: Qing Dynasty, Sultanate of Aceh, Portuguese Empire.

What comes next: 1918

Appear by 1918: Khanate of Khiva, Emirate of Bukhara.

Gone by 1918: Russian Empire.

Read the history of 1914

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in India and South Asia in 1914?

The map data draws 17 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1914. The largest by land were the British Empire, the British Raj, the Republic of China, Tibet and the Emirate of Afghanistan.

What was the largest empire in India and South Asia in 1914?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 37.8 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore India and South Asia in 1914 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1914, 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.

India in other years

Other regions in 1914