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Historical map · 1939

Map of the World in 1939

In 1939, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 82 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 1939. 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 1939 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1939
Atlas map: China: The War Nobody Declared (1938)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE ROAD TO WAR, CHAPTER 6: CHINA: THE WAR NOBODY DECLARED (1938)

States and empires in the World in 1939

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 China5.8 million km²5.8 million km²1912–1949
British Raj Wikipedia4.9 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Empire of Japan Wikipedia3.4 million km²3.4 million km²1868–1946
Italian Africa Wikipedia3.3 million km²3.3 million km²1890–1943
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 Wikipedia911,000 km²911,000 km²1363–1952
Francoist Spain Wikipedia854,000 km²854,000 km²1939–1975
United Kingdom Wikipedia818,000 km²818,000 km²1709–2024
Republic of Chile Wikipedia803,000 km²803,000 km²1812–2024
French Indochina Wikipedia793,000 km²793,000 km²1860–1957
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Nazi Germany Wikipedia697,000 km²697,000 km²1933–1944
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
Kingdom of Thailand Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024
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, Kingdom of Italy, Muscat and Oman, Kingdom of Romania, 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, Kingdom of Hungary, Greece, Honduras, Kingdom of Iceland, Guatemala, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Republic of Liberia, Republic of Panama, Éire (Ireland), Kingdom of Bhutan, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Republic of Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Swiss Confederation, Communist-held China, Haiti, Kingdom of Belgium, 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 1938

New on the map: Francoist Spain.

Gone from the map: Second Spanish Republic, Spanish Nationalists, Czechoslovakia, Albania.

What comes next: 1940

Appear by 1940: Vichy France, Free French.

Gone by 1940: French Third Republic, Second Polish Republic, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Estonia, Kingdom of Belgium, Free City of Danzig, Luxembourg.

Read the history of 1939

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 1939?

The map data draws 82 states and other polities in the World in 1939. 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 1939?

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 1939 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1939, 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 1939