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Historical map · 1920

Map of the World in 1920

In 1920, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 83 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the British Empire, the Republics of the Soviet Union and the French Third Republic.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1920. 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 1920 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1920
Atlas map: The Borderlands’ Own Revolutions (Aug 1919)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 11: THE BORDERLANDS’ OWN REVOLUTIONS (AUG 1919)

States and empires in the World in 1920

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia41.0 million km²41.0 million km²1706–1999
Republics of the Soviet Union Wikipedia21.4 million km²21.4 million km²1920–1921
French Third Republic Wikipedia13.5 million km²13.5 million km²1871–1939
French Africa Wikipedia11.1 million km²11.1 million km²1846–1957
British Africa Wikipedia10.1 million km²10.1 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)7.6 million km²7.6 million km²1912–1949
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Argentina Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1834–1929
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
Italian Africa Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1890–1943
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1788–1923
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
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1272–1935
Venezuela Wikipedia941,000 km²941,000 km²1811–2024
Empire of Japan Wikipedia928,000 km²928,000 km²1868–1946
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 Wikipedia765,000 km²765,000 km²1709–2024
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia650,000 km²650,000 km²1305–1923
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
Siam Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1783–1931
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia504,000 km²504,000 km²1824–1925
Weimar Republic Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²1919–1932
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²980–2024
Republic of Finland Wikipedia374,000 km²374,000 km²1918–2024
Second Polish Republic Wikipedia372,000 km²372,000 km²1918–1939
Kingdom of Norway Wikipedia344,000 km²344,000 km²1814–2024

Also on the map: Muscat and Oman, Kingdom of Romania, Kingdom of Italy, Kingdom of Hejaz, Republic of Ecuador, Yugoslavia, Emirate of Jabal Shammar, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Greece, North Yemen, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Paraguay, Greenland, Surinam (Dutch colony), Nepal, Czechoslovakia, Republic of Nicaragua, Republic of Cuba, Honduras, Kingdom of Iceland, Guatemala, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Republic of Liberia, Asir, Kingdom of Hungary, Republic of Austria, Republic of Panama, Georgia, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Republic of Costa Rica, Estonia, Denmark, Kingdom of Bhutan, Swiss Confederation, Kingdom of Belgium, Albania, Republic of El Salvador, New Hebrides, Free City of Danzig, Luxembourg, Klaipėda Region (Allied administration), 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 1918

New on the map: 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 from the map: 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.

What comes next: 1930

Appear by 1930: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Argentine Republic, Portugal (military dictatorship), Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, Pahlavi Iran, Mongolian People's Republic, Kingdom of Egypt, Republic of Turkey, Kingdom of Afghanistan, Anti-Kuomintang Coalition, Irish Free State, Dominican Republic, Communist-held China.

Gone by 1930: Republics of the Soviet Union, Argentina, Portuguese Republic, Qajar Iran, Ottoman Empire, Emirate of Afghanistan, Emirate of Nejd, Kingdom of Hejaz, Emirate of Jabal Shammar, Asir, Georgia, Klaipėda Region (Allied administration).

Read the history of 1920

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 1920?

The map data draws 83 states and other polities in the World in 1920. The largest by land were the British Empire, the Republics of the Soviet Union, the French Third Republic, the French Africa and the British Africa.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1920?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 41.0 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1920 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1920, 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 1920