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Historical map · 1950

Map of the Middle East in 1950

In 1950, 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 21.9 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the Middle East in 1950. 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 1950 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1950
Atlas map: Two Shocks of 1949 (Oct 1949)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE COLD WAR, CHAPTER 3: TWO SHOCKS OF 1949 (OCT 1949)

States and empires in the Middle East in 1950

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia2.9 million km²11.3 million km²1706–1999
British Africa Wikipedia2.5 million km²8.0 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
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia962,000 km²21.9 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 km²692,000 km²1709–2024
Ethiopia Wikipedia343,000 km²1.1 million km²1942–2024
Muscat and Oman Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²1900–1969
Second Syrian Republic Wikipedia188,000 km²188,000 km²1946–1957
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia185,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
French Fourth Republic Wikipedia175,000 km²13.8 million km²1945–1957
French Africa Wikipedia175,000 km²11.7 million km²1846–1957
North Yemen Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1919–1989
People's Republic of Bulgaria Wikipedia108,000 km²109,000 km²1947–1990
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Wikipedia104,000 km²104,000 km²1947–2024
Kingdom of Greece Wikipedia83,000 km²122,000 km²1945–1966
Dominion of Pakistan Wikipedia82,000 km²1.0 million km²1947–2024
State of Israel Wikipedia22,000 km²22,000 km²1948–2024
Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia Wikipedia17,000 km²250,000 km²1919–1991
Lebanon9,840 km²9,840 km²1944–2024
Romanian People's Republic Wikipedia8,350 km²238,000 km²1948–1989

"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 1945

New on the map: 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 from the map: French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Kingdom of Bulgaria, British Raj, Kingdom of Romania.

What comes next: 1960

Appear by 1960: Republic of Sudan, United Arab Republic, Iraqi Republic, Kingdom of Libya, French Fifth Republic, Somali Republic.

Gone by 1960: Kingdom of Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, Second Syrian Republic, French Fourth Republic, French Africa.

Read the history of 1950

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 1950?

The map data draws 24 states and other polities in the Middle East in 1950. 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 1950?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.9 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 1950 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1950, 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 1950