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Historical map · 1900

Map of the Middle East in 1900

In 1900, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 23 states, empires and other polities in the Middle East. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the British Empire, the British Africa and the Ottoman Empire. The British Empire reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 41.1 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1900. 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 1900 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1900
Atlas map: Bismarck’s Europe and the Two Blocs (Aug 1907)
FROM THE ATLAS · WWI, CHAPTER 1: BISMARCK’S EUROPE AND THE TWO BLOCS (AUG 1907)

States and empires in the Middle East in 1900

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia3.5 million km²41.1 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia3.0 million km²7.6 million km²1885–1960
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.2 million km²1305–1923
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Russian Empire Wikipedia997,000 km²23.0 million km²1721–1916
Emirate of Jabal Shammar Wikipedia676,000 km²676,000 km²1825–1921
United Kingdom Wikipedia399,000 km²740,000 km²1709–2024
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia328,000 km²966,000 km²1272–1935
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
Italian Africa Wikipedia163,000 km²590,000 km²1890–1943
Sultanate of Muscat and Oman Wikipedia127,000 km²127,000 km²1900–1969
Principality of Bulgaria Wikipedia98,000 km²100,000 km²1880–1908
Ottoman Tripolitania Wikipedia96,000 km²883,000 km²1840–1911
British Raj Wikipedia82,000 km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Greece Wikipedia40,000 km²64,000 km²1822–1940
French Third Republic Wikipedia36,000 km²6.5 million km²1871–1939
French Africa Wikipedia36,000 km²4.5 million km²1846–1957
Wadai Empire Wikipedia24,000 km²280,000 km²1636–1910
Romania Wikipedia8,350 km²130,000 km²1859–1916
Serbia Wikipedia7,460 km²50,000 km²1805–1915
Cretan State Wikipedia5,500 km²5,500 km²1898–1907
Qatar Wikipedia5,480 km²5,480 km²1820–2024
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia2,980 km²277,000 km²587–1946

"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 1880

New on the map: British Africa, Italian Africa, Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, French Third Republic, French Africa, Serbia, Cretan State, Kingdom of Italy.

Gone from the map: Khedivate of Egypt, Emirate of Nejd, Sultanate of Oman, Trucial States, Majeerteen Sultanate, Kingdom of Serbia, House of Khalifa.

What comes next: 1910

Appear by 1910: Emirate of Nejd, Kingdom of Bulgaria.

Gone by 1910: Principality of Bulgaria, Cretan State, Qatar, Kingdom of Italy.

Read the history of 1900

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

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the Middle East in 1900?

The map data draws 23 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1900. The largest by land were the British Empire, the British Africa, the Ottoman Empire, Qajar Iran and the Russian Empire.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1900?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 41.1 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the Middle East in 1900 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1900, 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.

Middle East in other years

Other regions in 1900