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Historical map · 1920

Map of the Middle East in 1920

In 1920, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 25 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 41.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East 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: The Peace That Failed (Feb 1919)
FROM THE ATLAS · WWI, CHAPTER 14: THE PEACE THAT FAILED (FEB 1919)

States and empires in the Middle East in 1920

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia4.2 million km²41.0 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia3.3 million km²10.1 million km²1885–1960
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1788–1923
Republics of the Soviet Union Wikipedia898,000 km²21.4 million km²1920–1921
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia650,000 km²650,000 km²1305–1923
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia504,000 km²504,000 km²1824–1925
United Kingdom Wikipedia420,000 km²765,000 km²1709–2024
French Third Republic Wikipedia385,000 km²13.5 million km²1871–1939
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia343,000 km²1.1 million km²1272–1935
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia334,000 km²334,000 km²1900–1969
Kingdom of Hejaz Wikipedia293,000 km²293,000 km²1916–1925
Italian Africa Wikipedia259,000 km²1.6 million km²1890–1943
Emirate of Jabal Shammar Wikipedia245,000 km²245,000 km²1825–1921
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia210,000 km²210,000 km²1920–1945
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
North Yemen Wikipedia182,000 km²182,000 km²1919–1989
French Africa Wikipedia175,000 km²11.1 million km²1846–1957
Greece Wikipedia167,000 km²206,000 km²1822–1940
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia101,000 km²101,000 km²1909–1946
Asir Wikipedia96,000 km²96,000 km²1917–1923
British Raj Wikipedia82,000 km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Georgia Wikipedia73,000 km²73,000 km²567–2024
Yugoslavia Wikipedia17,000 km²246,000 km²1919–1991
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia15,000 km²300,000 km²1919–1947
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia6,310 km²299,000 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 1918

New on the map: Republics of the Soviet Union, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, North Yemen, Yugoslavia, Kingdom of Romania.

Gone from the map: 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.

What comes next: 1930

Appear by 1930: Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, Pahlavi Iran, Kingdom of Egypt, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Republic of Turkey, Kingdom of Afghanistan.

Gone by 1930: Qajar Iran, Republics of the Soviet Union, Ottoman Empire, Emirate of Nejd, Kingdom of Hejaz, Emirate of Jabal Shammar, Emirate of Afghanistan, Asir, Georgia.

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 the Middle East in 1920?

The map data draws 25 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1920. The largest by land were the British Empire, the British Africa, Qajar Iran, the Republics of the Soviet Union and the Ottoman Empire.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East 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 the Middle East 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.

Middle East in other years

Other regions in 1920