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Historical map · 1918

Map of the Middle East in 1918

In 1918, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 29 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 Qajar Iran. The British Empire reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 41.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1918. 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 1918 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1918
Atlas map: Breaking Points (Nov 1917)
FROM THE ATLAS · WWI, CHAPTER 10: BREAKING POINTS (NOV 1917)

States and empires in the Middle East in 1918

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia4.2 million km²41.2 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia3.4 million km²10.4 million km²1885–1960
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1788–1923
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1305–1923
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia462,000 km²462,000 km²1824–1925
Kingdom of Hejaz Wikipedia434,000 km²434,000 km²1916–1925
United Kingdom Wikipedia416,000 km²762,000 km²1709–2024
Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments)411,000 km²17.8 million km²1918–1919
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia354,000 km²384,000 km²1512–1919
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia343,000 km²1.1 million km²1272–1935
Italian Africa Wikipedia259,000 km²1.5 million km²1890–1943
Emirate of Jabal Shammar Wikipedia245,000 km²245,000 km²1825–1921
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
French Third Republic Wikipedia180,000 km²13.3 million km²1871–1939
French Africa Wikipedia175,000 km²11.3 million km²1846–1957
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia126,000 km²143,000 km²1909–1946
Imamate of Oman Wikipedia104,000 km²104,000 km²1913–1919
Asir Wikipedia96,000 km²96,000 km²1917–1923
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic87,000 km²87,000 km²1918–1919
British Raj Wikipedia82,000 km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Georgia Wikipedia70,000 km²70,000 km²567–2024
Greece Wikipedia63,000 km²102,000 km²1822–1940
Sultanate of Muscat and Oman Wikipedia34,000 km²34,000 km²1900–1969
Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia)22,000 km²2.5 million km²1918–1919
First Republic of Armenia17,000 km²17,000 km²1918–1919
Austria-Hungary Wikipedia8,900 km²929,000 km²1868–1918
Emirate of Bukhara Wikipedia7,140 km²219,000 km²1788–1919
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia2,520 km²272,000 km²587–1946
Serbia Wikipedia1,170 km²18,000 km²1094–1918

"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 1914

New on the map: 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 from the map: Russian Empire, Serbia, Romania, Qatar.

What comes next: 1920

Appear by 1920: Republics of the Soviet Union, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, North Yemen, Yugoslavia, Kingdom of Romania.

Gone by 1920: Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), Khanate of Khiva, Imamate of Oman, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia), First Republic of Armenia, Austria-Hungary, Emirate of Bukhara, Serbia.

Read the history of 1918

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 1918?

The map data draws 29 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1918. The largest by land were the British Empire, the British Africa, Qajar Iran, the Ottoman Empire and the Emirate of Nejd.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1918?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 41.2 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 1918 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1918, 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 1918