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Historical map · 1942

Map of the Middle East in 1942

In 1942, 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 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached well beyond the Middle East: its whole territory measured about 20.6 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1942. 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 1942 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1942
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 1942

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia3.0 million km²17.5 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia2.2 million km²7.0 million km²1885–1960
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1924–1978
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia1.1 million km²20.6 million km²1922–1991
Kingdom of Egypt Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1922–1952
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Kingdom of Iraq Wikipedia434,000 km²434,000 km²1932–1957
United Kingdom Wikipedia426,000 km²693,000 km²1709–2024
Italian Africa Wikipedia402,000 km²1.5 million km²1890–1943
Ethiopia Wikipedia343,000 km²1.1 million km²1942–2024
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
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia135,000 km²154,000 km²1909–1946
Vichy France Wikipedia103,000 km²10.2 million km²1940–1944
French Africa Wikipedia103,000 km²8.7 million km²1846–1957
British Raj Wikipedia82,000 km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Free French Wikipedia71,000 km²2.4 million km²1940–1944
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia38,000 km²427,000 km²587–1946
Nazi Germany Wikipedia36,000 km²3.0 million km²1933–1944
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia8,350 km²276,000 km²1919–1947

"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 1940

New on the map: Ethiopia.

Gone from the map: Greece, Yugoslavia.

What comes next: 1945

Appear by 1945: French Fourth Republic, Kingdom of Greece, Yugoslavia, Lebanon.

Gone by 1945: Kingdom of Iraq, Italian Africa, Vichy France, Free French, Kingdom of Italy, Nazi Germany.

Read the history of 1942

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 1942?

The map data draws 23 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1942. The largest by land were the British Empire, the British Africa, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pahlavi Iran and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

What was the largest empire in the Middle East in 1942?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 20.6 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 1942 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1942, 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 1942