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Historical map · 1918

Map of the World in 1918

In 1918, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 80 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the British Empire, Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments) and the French Third Republic.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1918. 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 1918 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1918
Atlas map: Breaking Points (Nov 1917)
FROM THE ATLAS · WWI, CHAPTER 10: BREAKING POINTS (NOV 1917)

States and empires in the World in 1918

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia41.2 million km²41.2 million km²1706–1999
Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments)17.8 million km²17.8 million km²1918–1919
French Third Republic Wikipedia13.3 million km²13.3 million km²1871–1939
French Africa Wikipedia11.3 million km²11.3 million km²1846–1957
British Africa Wikipedia10.4 million km²10.4 million km²1885–1960
United States of America Wikipedia9.9 million km²9.9 million km²1776–2024
Brazilian Republic Wikipedia8.6 million km²8.6 million km²1890–2024
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1905–2024
Republic of China (Beiyang era)7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1912–1949
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Argentina Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1834–1929
Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia)2.5 million km²2.5 million km²1918–1919
Belgian Congo Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1890–1962
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
Portuguese Republic Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1911–1925
Bogd Khanate of Mongolia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1912–1924
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1788–1923
Italian Africa Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1890–1943
German Empire Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.4 million km²1871–1918
Tibet Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.4 million km²1363–1952
Bolivia Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1825–2024
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1822–2024
British Gold Coast Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1873–1960
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1866–2024
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1305–1923
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1272–1935
Venezuela Wikipedia941,000 km²941,000 km²1811–2024
Austria-Hungary Wikipedia929,000 km²929,000 km²1868–1918
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
French Indochina Wikipedia793,000 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
United Kingdom Wikipedia762,000 km²762,000 km²1709–2024
Empire of Japan Wikipedia748,000 km²748,000 km²1868–1946
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
Siam Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1783–1931
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia462,000 km²462,000 km²1824–1925
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²980–2024

Also on the map: Kingdom of Hejaz, Khanate of Khiva, Republic of Finland, Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Italy, Republic of Ecuador, Emirate of Jabal Shammar, Emirate of Bukhara, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Paraguay, Greenland, Surinam (Dutch colony), Nepal, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Republic of Nicaragua, Republic of Cuba, Honduras, Kingdom of Iceland, Guatemala, Imamate of Oman, Greece, Republic of Liberia, Asir, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Republic of Panama, Georgia, Republic of Costa Rica, Poland (Second Polish Republic), Denmark, Kingdom of Bhutan, Swiss Confederation, Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, German Africa, Kingdom of Belgium, Republic of El Salvador, Serbia, New Hebrides, First Republic of Armenia, Albania, 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 1914

New on the map: 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 from the map: Russian Empire, Romania, Serbia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Montenegro, Qatar, Luxembourg.

What comes next: 1920

Appear by 1920: Republics of the Soviet Union, Weimar Republic, Kingdom of Romania, Yugoslavia, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, North Yemen, Czechoslovakia, Kingdom of Hungary, Republic of Austria, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Estonia, Free City of Danzig, Luxembourg, Klaipėda Region (Allied administration).

Gone by 1920: Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), Russian SFSR (Soviet Russia), Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Khanate of Khiva, Emirate of Bukhara, Imamate of Oman, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, German Africa, Serbia, First Republic of Armenia.

Read the history of 1918

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 1918?

The map data draws 80 states and other polities in the World in 1918. The largest by land were the British Empire, Anti-Bolshevik Russia (White governments), the French Third Republic, the French Africa and the British Africa.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1918?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 41.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1918 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1918, 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 1918