Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1938

Map of India and South Asia in 1938

In 1938, 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 the Republic of China. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached well beyond India and South Asia: its whole territory measured about 21.3 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on India and South Asia in 1938. 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 1938 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1938
Atlas map: The Elected Map (Jul 1937)
FROM THE ATLAS · INDIAN INDEPENDENCE & PARTITION, CHAPTER 9: THE ELECTED MAP (JUL 1937)

States and empires in India and South Asia in 1938

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia4.9 million km²17.1 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Republic of China1.0 million km²6.1 million km²1912–1949
Tibet Wikipedia908,000 km²908,000 km²1363–1952
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia641,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia327,000 km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia168,000 km²21.3 million km²1922–1991
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
Kingdom of Siam Wikipedia67,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024
Kingdom of Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia13,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia5,240 km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
French Third Republic Wikipedia1,100 km²13.4 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 1930

New on the map: Kingdom of Siam.

Gone from the map: Siam.

What comes next: 1939

Between 1938 and 1939 the data shows the same states in India and South Asia; their borders may still have moved.

Read the history of 1938

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 1938?

The map data draws 16 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1938. The largest by land were the British Empire, the British Raj, the Republic of China, Tibet and the Kingdom of Afghanistan.

What was the largest empire in India and South Asia in 1938?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.3 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 1938 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1938, 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 1938