Historical map · 1940

Map of South America in 1940

In 1940, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 16 states, empires and other polities in South America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were Brazil (Vargas era), the Argentine Republic and the Republic of Peru. The British Empire reached well beyond South America: its whole territory measured about 16.9 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on South America 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

States and empires in South America in 1940

State	In this region	Whole state	In the data
Brazil (Vargas era) Wikipedia	8.6 million km²	8.6 million km²	1890–2024
Argentine Republic Wikipedia	2.8 million km²	2.8 million km²	1930–2024
Republic of Peru Wikipedia	1.3 million km²	1.3 million km²	1822–2024
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia	1.2 million km²	1.2 million km²	1866–2024
Bolivia Wikipedia	1.1 million km²	1.1 million km²	1825–2024
Venezuela Wikipedia	941,000 km²	941,000 km²	1811–2024
Republic of Chile Wikipedia	803,000 km²	803,000 km²	1812–2024
Paraguay Wikipedia	403,000 km²	403,000 km²	1811–2024
Republic of Ecuador Wikipedia	254,000 km²	264,000 km²	1834–2024
British Empire Wikipedia	242,000 km²	16.9 million km²	1706–1999
Oriental Republic of Uruguay Wikipedia	181,000 km²	181,000 km²	1828–2024
Surinam (Dutch colony) Wikipedia	149,000 km²	150,000 km²	1820–2024
Vichy France Wikipedia	86,000 km²	11.0 million km²	1940–1944
Republic of Panama Wikipedia	83,000 km²	83,000 km²	1905–2024
Republic of Costa Rica Wikipedia	3,790 km²	56,000 km²	1840–2024
United States of America Wikipedia	1,320 km²	9.8 million km²	1776–2024

"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.

Gone from the map: French Third Republic.

What comes next: 1942

Between 1940 and 1942 the data shows the same states in South America; their borders may still have moved.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in South America in 1940?

The map data draws 16 states and other polities in South America in 1940. The largest by land were Brazil (Vargas era), the Argentine Republic, the Republic of Peru, the Republic of Colombia and Bolivia.

What was the largest empire in South America in 1940?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 16.9 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore South America 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.

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