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Historical map · 1914

Map of the World in 1914

In 1914, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 75 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the British Empire, the Russian Empire and the French Third Republic.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1914. 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 1914 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1914
Atlas map: The Balkan Crises (Aug 1913)
FROM THE ATLAS · WWI, CHAPTER 2: THE BALKAN CRISES (AUG 1913)

States and empires in the World in 1914

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia37.8 million km²37.8 million km²1706–1999
Russian Empire Wikipedia22.4 million km²22.4 million km²1721–1916
French Third Republic Wikipedia12.5 million km²12.5 million km²1871–1939
French Africa Wikipedia10.4 million km²10.4 million km²1846–1957
United States of America Wikipedia9.8 million km²9.8 million km²1776–2024
Brazilian Republic Wikipedia8.6 million km²8.6 million km²1890–2024
Republic of China8.4 million km²8.4 million km²1912–1949
British Africa Wikipedia8.3 million km²8.3 million km²1885–1960
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1905–2024
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Argentina Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1834–1929
German Africa Wikipedia2.7 million km²2.7 million km²1871–1918
Belgian Congo Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1890–1962
Portuguese Republic Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1911–1925
Netherlands Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1811–2024
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1800–1949
Mexico2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1868–2024
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1305–1923
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Bogd Khanate of Mongolia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1912–1924
Italian Africa Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1890–1943
Bolivia Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1825–2024
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1822–2024
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1866–2024
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1272–1935
British Gold Coast Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1873–1960
Venezuela Wikipedia941,000 km²941,000 km²1811–2024
Tibet Wikipedia909,000 km²909,000 km²1363–1952
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia854,000 km²854,000 km²1516–2024
Spanish Empire Wikipedia854,000 km²854,000 km²1516–1931
Republic of Chile Wikipedia817,000 km²817,000 km²1812–2024
German Empire Wikipedia815,000 km²815,000 km²1871–1918
French Indochina Wikipedia793,000 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
Empire of Japan Wikipedia746,000 km²746,000 km²1868–1946
United Kingdom Wikipedia745,000 km²745,000 km²1709–2024
Austria-Hungary Wikipedia672,000 km²672,000 km²1868–1918
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
Siam Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1783–1931
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²980–2024
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia455,000 km²455,000 km²1824–1925

Also on the map: Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Italy, Republic of Ecuador, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Denmark, Paraguay, Greenland, Surinam (Dutch colony), Nepal, Romania, Republic of Nicaragua, Republic of Cuba, Honduras, Greece, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Guatemala, Imamate of Oman, Republic of Liberia, Serbia, Emirate of Jabal Shammar, Republic of Panama, Republic of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Swiss Confederation, Kingdom of Bhutan, Haiti, Kingdom of Belgium, Albania, Republic of El Salvador, Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, New Hebrides, Montenegro, Qatar, Luxembourg, Principality of Andorra.

"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 1910

New on the map: Republic of China, Portuguese Republic, Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, Tibet, Imamate of Oman, Albania, Qatar.

Gone from the map: Qing Dynasty, Portuguese Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Ottoman Tripolitania, Morocco, Wadai Empire, Korean Empire, Colony of Natal (British), Sultanate of Aceh, Sultanate of Kedah, Kedah-Perlis District.

What comes next: 1918

Appear by 1918: Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia), Kingdom of Hejaz, Khanate of Khiva, Republic of Finland, Emirate of Bukhara, Kingdom of Iceland, Asir, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Georgia, Poland (Second Polish Republic), Serbia, First Republic of Armenia.

Gone by 1918: Russian Empire, Romania, Serbia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Montenegro, Qatar, Luxembourg.

Read the history of 1914

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the World in 1914?

The map data draws 75 states and other polities in the World in 1914. The largest by land were the British Empire, the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, the French Africa and the United States of America.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1914?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 37.8 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1914 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1914, 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.

World in other years

Other regions in 1914