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Historical map · 1942

Map of the World in 1942

In 1942, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 74 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 United States of America.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1942. 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 1942 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1942
Atlas map: Pearl Harbor: The Roads Meet (1941)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE ROAD TO WAR, CHAPTER 12: PEARL HARBOR: THE ROADS MEET (1941)

States and empires in the World in 1942

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia20.6 million km²20.6 million km²1922–1991
British Empire Wikipedia17.5 million km²17.5 million km²1706–1999
United States of America Wikipedia11.6 million km²11.6 million km²1776–2024
Vichy France Wikipedia10.2 million km²10.2 million km²1940–1944
Canada Wikipedia9.6 million km²9.6 million km²1932–2024
French Africa Wikipedia8.7 million km²8.7 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 Wikipedia7.0 million km²7.0 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 Wikipedia4.2 million km²4.2 million km²1868–1946
Nazi Germany Wikipedia3.0 million km²3.0 million km²1933–1944
Argentine Republic Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1930–2024
Free French Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1940–1944
Belgian Congo Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1890–1962
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
South Africa Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1932–2024
Mexico2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1868–2024
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1800–1949
Netherlands Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1811–2024
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
Italian Africa Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1890–1943
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1822–2024
British Gold Coast Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1873–1960
Pahlavi Iran Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1924–1978
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1866–2024
Ethiopia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1942–2024
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
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
French Indochina Wikipedia763,000 km²763,000 km²1860–1957
United Kingdom Wikipedia693,000 km²693,000 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, Republic of Finland, Kingdom of Iraq, Kingdom of Italy, Paraguay, Muscat and Oman, Kingdom of Romania, Republic of Ecuador, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Kingdom of Hungary, Kingdom of Bulgaria, North Yemen, Surinam (Dutch colony), Nepal, Republic of Nicaragua, Republic of Cuba, Honduras, Kingdom of Iceland, Guatemala, Republic of Liberia, Independent State of Croatia, 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, Principality of Andorra, Kingdom of Norway.

"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 1940

New on the map: Ethiopia, Independent State of Croatia.

Gone from the map: Greenland, Yugoslavia, Greece, Denmark.

What comes next: 1945

Appear by 1945: French Fourth Republic, Allied-occupied Germany, Republic of Poland, East Turkestan Republic, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Kingdom of Greece, Republic of Iceland, Second Republic of Austria, Denmark, Kingdom of Belgium, Albania, Lebanon, Luxembourg.

Gone by 1945: Vichy France, Nazi Germany, Free French, Dutch East Indies, Italian Africa, Kingdom of Iraq, Kingdom of Iceland, Independent State of Croatia.

Read the history of 1942

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 1942?

The map data draws 74 states and other polities in the World in 1942. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the British Empire, the United States of America, Vichy France and Canada.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1942?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 20.6 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1942 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1942, 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 1942