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Historical map · 1920

Map of India and South Asia in 1920

In 1920, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 16 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 Tibet. The British Empire reached well beyond India and South Asia: its whole territory measured about 41.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on India and South Asia in 1920. 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 1920 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1920
Atlas map: Amritsar — The End of Consent (Apr 1919)
FROM THE ATLAS · INDIAN INDEPENDENCE & PARTITION, CHAPTER 6: AMRITSAR — THE END OF CONSENT (APR 1919)

States and empires in India and South Asia in 1920

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia4.9 million km²41.0 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Tibet Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.4 million km²1363–1952
Republic of China (Beiyang era)749,000 km²7.6 million km²1912–1949
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia641,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
Qajar Iran Wikipedia327,000 km²1.5 million km²1788–1923
Republics of the Soviet Union Wikipedia168,000 km²21.4 million km²1920–1921
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
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia13,000 km²334,000 km²1900–1969
Portuguese Republic Wikipedia5,240 km²2.2 million km²1911–1925
French Third Republic Wikipedia1,100 km²13.5 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia1,100 km²793,000 km²1860–1957

"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 1918

New on the map: Republics of the Soviet Union.

Gone from the map: Khanate of Khiva, Emirate of Bukhara, Imamate of Oman.

What comes next: 1930

Appear by 1930: Kingdom of Afghanistan, Pahlavi Iran, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Portugal (military dictatorship).

Gone by 1930: Emirate of Afghanistan, Qajar Iran, Republics of the Soviet Union, Portuguese Republic.

Read the history of 1920

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 1920?

The map data draws 16 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1920. The largest by land were the British Empire, the British Raj, Tibet, the Republic of China (Beiyang era) and the Emirate of Afghanistan.

What was the largest empire in India and South Asia in 1920?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 41.0 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 1920 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1920, 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 1920