Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1930

Map of the World in 1930

In 1930, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 84 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the British Empire, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the French Third Republic.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1930. 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 1930 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1930
Atlas map: The Great Turn: Collectivisation (1930)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE SOVIET UNION UNDER STALIN, CHAPTER 2: THE GREAT TURN: COLLECTIVISATION (1930)

States and empires in the World in 1930

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia39.1 million km²39.1 million km²1706–1999
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia21.5 million km²21.5 million km²1922–1991
French Third Republic Wikipedia13.4 million km²13.4 million km²1871–1939
French Africa Wikipedia11.1 million km²11.1 million km²1846–1957
United States of America Wikipedia9.8 million km²9.8 million km²1776–2024
British Africa Wikipedia9.1 million km²9.1 million km²1885–1960
Brazilian Republic Wikipedia8.6 million km²8.6 million km²1890–2024
Republic of China7.9 million km²7.9 million km²1912–1949
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1905–2024
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Argentine Republic Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1930–2024
Belgian Congo Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1890–1962
Portugal (military dictatorship) Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
Italian Africa Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1890–1943
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
Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1926–1935
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
Bolivia Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1825–2024
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1822–2024
Tibet Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1363–1952
British Gold Coast Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1873–1960
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1866–2024
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1272–1935
Kingdom of Egypt Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1922–1952
Venezuela Wikipedia941,000 km²941,000 km²1811–2024
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia854,000 km²854,000 km²1516–2024
Spanish Empire Wikipedia854,000 km²854,000 km²1516–1931
Republic of Chile Wikipedia801,000 km²801,000 km²1812–2024
French Indochina Wikipedia793,000 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia763,000 km²763,000 km²1924–2024
Empire of Japan Wikipedia748,000 km²748,000 km²1868–1946
United Kingdom Wikipedia667,000 km²667,000 km²1709–2024
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
Anti-Kuomintang Coalition Wikipedia557,000 km²557,000 km²1930–1931
Siam Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1783–1931
Weimar Republic Wikipedia477,000 km²477,000 km²1919–1932
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²980–2024

Also on the map: Kingdom of Norway, Republic of Finland, Second Polish Republic, Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, Kingdom of Romania, Kingdom of Italy, Republic of Ecuador, Yugoslavia, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, North Yemen, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Greenland, Paraguay, Surinam (Dutch colony), Nepal, Czechoslovakia, Republic of Nicaragua, Republic of Cuba, Greece, Honduras, Kingdom of Iceland, Guatemala, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Republic of Liberia, Kingdom of Hungary, Republic of Austria, Republic of Panama, Irish Free State, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Republic of Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Kingdom of Bhutan, Swiss Confederation, Communist-held China, Kingdom of Belgium, Albania, Republic of El Salvador, New Hebrides, Free City of Danzig, 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 1920

New on the map: 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 from the map: 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).

What comes next: 1938

Appear by 1938: Canada, South Africa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nazi Germany, Kingdom of Siam, Second Spanish Republic, Kingdom of Iraq, Spanish Nationalists, Éire (Ireland), Haiti.

Gone by 1938: Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, Ethiopian Empire, Kingdom of Spain, Spanish Empire, Anti-Kuomintang Coalition, Siam, Weimar Republic, Republic of Austria, Irish Free State.

Read the history of 1930

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 1930?

The map data draws 84 states and other polities in the World in 1930. The largest by land were the British Empire, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the French Third Republic, the French Africa and the United States of America.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1930?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 39.1 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1930 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1930, 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 1930