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Historical map · 1914

Map of the Middle East in 1914

In 1914, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 22 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 37.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East 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 Balkan Crises (Aug 1913)
FROM THE ATLAS · WWI, CHAPTER 2: THE BALKAN CRISES (AUG 1913)

States and empires in the Middle East in 1914

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia3.8 million km²37.8 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia3.3 million km²8.3 million km²1885–1960
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1305–1923
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Russian Empire Wikipedia997,000 km²22.4 million km²1721–1916
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia455,000 km²455,000 km²1824–1925
United Kingdom Wikipedia404,000 km²745,000 km²1709–2024
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia343,000 km²1.1 million km²1272–1935
Italian Africa Wikipedia259,000 km²1.5 million km²1890–1943
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
French Third Republic Wikipedia175,000 km²12.5 million km²1871–1939
French Africa Wikipedia175,000 km²10.4 million km²1846–1957
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia111,000 km²112,000 km²1909–1946
Imamate of Oman Wikipedia104,000 km²104,000 km²1913–1919
Emirate of Jabal Shammar Wikipedia84,000 km²84,000 km²1825–1921
British Raj Wikipedia82,000 km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Greece Wikipedia74,000 km²114,000 km²1822–1940
Sultanate of Muscat and Oman Wikipedia21,000 km²21,000 km²1900–1969
Serbia Wikipedia15,000 km²89,000 km²1805–1915
Romania Wikipedia15,000 km²138,000 km²1859–1916
Qatar Wikipedia13,000 km²13,000 km²1820–2024
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia2,520 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 1910

New on the map: Imamate of Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Italy.

Gone from the map: Ottoman Tripolitania, Wadai Empire.

What comes next: 1918

Appear by 1918: Kingdom of Hejaz, Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), Khanate of Khiva, Asir, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Georgia, Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia), First Republic of Armenia, Austria-Hungary, Emirate of Bukhara, Serbia.

Gone by 1918: Russian Empire, Serbia, Romania, Qatar.

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 the Middle East in 1914?

The map data draws 22 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1914. 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 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 the Middle East 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.

Middle East in other years

Other regions in 1914