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Historical map · 1940

Map of the World in 1940

In 1940, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 76 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 Vichy France.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1940. 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 1940 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1940
Atlas map: Propaganda and the Cult (1939)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE SOVIET UNION UNDER STALIN, CHAPTER 8: PROPAGANDA AND THE CULT (1939)

States and empires in the World in 1940

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia21.8 million km²21.8 million km²1922–1991
British Empire Wikipedia16.9 million km²16.9 million km²1706–1999
Vichy France Wikipedia11.0 million km²11.0 million km²1940–1944
United States of America Wikipedia9.8 million km²9.8 million km²1776–2024
Canada Wikipedia9.6 million km²9.6 million km²1932–2024
French Africa Wikipedia9.5 million km²9.5 million km²1846–1957
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
Italian Africa Wikipedia3.5 million km²3.5 million km²1890–1943
Empire of Japan Wikipedia3.4 million km²3.4 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
Free French Wikipedia1.7 million km²1.7 million km²1940–1944
Nazi Germany Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1933–1944
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
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
United Kingdom Wikipedia691,000 km²691,000 km²1709–2024
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
Kingdom of Thailand Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024

Also on the map: Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Iraq, Kingdom of Norway, Paraguay, Republic of Finland, Kingdom of Italy, Muscat and Oman, Republic of Ecuador, Yugoslavia, Kingdom of Romania, 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 Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Swiss Confederation, Communist-held China, Haiti, Republic of El Salvador, New Hebrides, Denmark, 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 1939

New on the map: Vichy France, Free French.

Gone from the map: French Third Republic, Second Polish Republic, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Estonia, Kingdom of Belgium, Free City of Danzig, Luxembourg.

What comes next: 1942

Appear by 1942: Ethiopia, Independent State of Croatia.

Gone by 1942: Greenland, Yugoslavia, Greece, Denmark.

Read the history of 1940

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 1940?

The map data draws 76 states and other polities in the World in 1940. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the British Empire, Vichy France, the United States of America and Canada.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1940?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.8 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1940 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1940, 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 1940