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Historical map · 1945

Map of the Middle East in 1945

In 1945, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 21 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 22.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1945. 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 1945 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1945
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 1945

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia3.9 million km²18.5 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia3.4 million km²8.8 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 km²22.0 million km²1922–1991
Kingdom of Egypt Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1922–1952
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia412,000 km²678,000 km²1709–2024
Ethiopia Wikipedia343,000 km²1.1 million km²1942–2024
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon Wikipedia187,000 km²187,000 km²1920–1945
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
French Fourth Republic Wikipedia175,000 km²13.0 million km²1945–1957
French Africa Wikipedia175,000 km²11.7 million km²1846–1957
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
Kingdom of Bulgaria Wikipedia108,000 km²110,000 km²1909–1946
Kingdom of Greece Wikipedia82,000 km²121,000 km²1945–1966
British Raj Wikipedia82,000 km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Yugoslavia Wikipedia17,000 km²249,000 km²1919–1991
Lebanon9,810 km²9,810 km²1944–2024
Kingdom of Romania Wikipedia8,350 km²238,000 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 1942

New on the map: French Fourth Republic, Kingdom of Greece, Yugoslavia, Lebanon.

Gone from the map: Kingdom of Iraq, Italian Africa, Vichy France, Free French, Kingdom of Italy, Nazi Germany.

What comes next: 1950

Appear by 1950: Kingdom of Iraq, Second Syrian Republic, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dominion of Pakistan, State of Israel, Romanian People's Republic.

Gone by 1950: French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Kingdom of Bulgaria, British Raj, Kingdom of Romania.

Read the history of 1945

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 1945?

The map data draws 21 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1945. 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 1945?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 22.0 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 1945 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1945, 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 1945