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Historical map · 1938

Map of the World in 1938

In 1938, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 85 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the British Empire and the French Third Republic.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1938. 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 1938 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1938
Atlas map: The Japanese War Begins (1938)
FROM THE ATLAS · CHINA IN REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 8: THE JAPANESE WAR BEGINS (1938)

States and empires in the World in 1938

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia21.3 million km²21.3 million km²1922–1991
British Empire Wikipedia17.1 million km²17.1 million km²1706–1999
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
Canada Wikipedia9.6 million km²9.6 million km²1932–2024
Brazil (Vargas era) Wikipedia8.6 million km²8.6 million km²1890–2024
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1905–2024
British Africa Wikipedia6.3 million km²6.3 million km²1885–1960
Republic of China6.1 million km²6.1 million km²1912–1949
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Italian Africa Wikipedia3.3 million km²3.3 million km²1890–1943
Empire of Japan Wikipedia3.1 million km²3.1 million km²1868–1946
Argentine Republic Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1930–2024
Belgian Congo Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1890–1962
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
Greenland Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1734–1940
Netherlands Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1811–2024
South Africa Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1932–2024
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1800–1949
Mexico2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1868–2024
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1924–1978
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
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 Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1866–2024
Bolivia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1825–2024
Kingdom of Egypt Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1922–1952
Venezuela Wikipedia941,000 km²941,000 km²1811–2024
Tibet Wikipedia908,000 km²908,000 km²1363–1952
United Kingdom Wikipedia818,000 km²818,000 km²1709–2024
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
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
Nazi Germany Wikipedia624,000 km²624,000 km²1933–1944
Kingdom of Siam Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024
Second Spanish Republic Wikipedia516,000 km²516,000 km²1931–1938
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia455,000 km²455,000 km²980–2024

Also on the map: Kingdom of Iraq, Kingdom of Norway, Paraguay, Republic of Finland, Second Polish Republic, Spanish Nationalists, Muscat and Oman, Kingdom of Romania, Kingdom of Italy, Republic of Ecuador, Yugoslavia, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, North Yemen, Surinam (Dutch colony), Nepal, Republic of Nicaragua, Republic of Cuba, Greece, Honduras, Kingdom of Iceland, Guatemala, Kingdom of Hungary, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Republic of Liberia, Czechoslovakia, Republic of Panama, Éire (Ireland), Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Republic of Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Kingdom of Bhutan, Swiss Confederation, Communist-held China, Haiti, 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 1930

New on the map: Canada, South Africa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nazi Germany, Kingdom of Siam, Second Spanish Republic, Kingdom of Iraq, Spanish Nationalists, Éire (Ireland), Haiti.

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

What comes next: 1939

Appear by 1939: Francoist Spain.

Gone by 1939: Second Spanish Republic, Spanish Nationalists, Czechoslovakia, Albania.

Read the history of 1938

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 1938?

The map data draws 85 states and other polities in the World in 1938. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the British Empire, the French Third Republic, the French Africa and the United States of America.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1938?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.3 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1938 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1938, 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 1938