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Historical map · 1940

Map of the Middle East in 1940

In 1940, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 24 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 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 21.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1940. 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 1940 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1940
Atlas map: The World the War Left (Mar 1946)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE COLD WAR, CHAPTER 1: THE WORLD THE WAR LEFT (MAR 1946)

States and empires in the Middle East in 1940

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia2.5 million km²16.9 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia2.0 million km²6.3 million km²1885–1960
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Kingdom of Egypt Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1922–1952
Italian Africa Wikipedia1.0 million km²3.5 million km²1890–1943
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia962,000 km²21.8 million km²1922–1991
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Kingdom of Iraq Wikipedia434,000 km²434,000 km²1932–1957
United Kingdom Wikipedia426,000 km²691,000 km²1709–2024
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia196,000 km²196,000 km²1920–1945
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
Vichy France Wikipedia160,000 km²11.0 million km²1940–1944
French Africa Wikipedia160,000 km²9.5 million km²1846–1957
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia101,000 km²102,000 km²1909–1946
British Raj Wikipedia82,000 km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Greece Wikipedia80,000 km²118,000 km²1822–1940
Yugoslavia Wikipedia17,000 km²246,000 km²1919–1991
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia15,000 km²245,000 km²1919–1947
Free French Wikipedia14,000 km²1.7 million km²1940–1944
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia2,520 km²326,000 km²587–1946
Nazi Germany Wikipedia2,330 km²1.6 million km²1933–1944

"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 1939

New on the map: Vichy France, Free French.

Gone from the map: French Third Republic.

What comes next: 1942

Appear by 1942: Ethiopia.

Gone by 1942: Greece, Yugoslavia.

Read the history of 1940

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 1940?

The map data draws 24 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1940. The largest by land were the British Empire, the British Africa, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pahlavi Iran and the Kingdom of Egypt.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1940?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.8 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 1940 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1940, 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 1940