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Historical map · 1950

Map of the World in 1950

In 1950, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 93 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the French Fourth Republic and the French Africa.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1950. 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 1950 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1950
Atlas map: The People’s Republic (1949)
FROM THE ATLAS · CHINA IN REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 12: THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC (1949)

States and empires in the World in 1950

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia21.9 million km²21.9 million km²1922–1991
French Fourth Republic Wikipedia13.8 million km²13.8 million km²1945–1957
French Africa Wikipedia11.7 million km²11.7 million km²1846–1957
British Empire Wikipedia11.3 million km²11.3 million km²1706–1999
Canada Wikipedia10.0 million km²10.0 million km²1932–2024
United States of America Wikipedia9.4 million km²9.4 million km²1776–2024
Brazilian Republic Wikipedia8.6 million km²8.6 million km²1890–2024
People's Republic of China Wikipedia8.5 million km²8.5 million km²1950–2024
British Africa Wikipedia8.0 million km²8.0 million km²1885–1960
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1905–2024
Republic of India Wikipedia3.1 million km²3.1 million km²1947–2024
Argentine Republic Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1930–2024
Belgian Congo Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1890–1962
Denmark Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1333–2024
Portugal (Estado Novo) Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1926–2024
South Africa Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1932–2024
Republic of Indonesia Wikipedia2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1946–2024
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
Ethiopia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1942–2024
Bolivia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1825–2024
Dominion of Pakistan Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1947–2024
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 Wikipedia855,000 km²855,000 km²1939–1975
Republic of Chile Wikipedia803,000 km²803,000 km²1812–2024
French Indochina Wikipedia790,000 km²790,000 km²1860–1957
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia692,000 km²692,000 km²1709–2024
Burma Wikipedia678,000 km²678,000 km²1820–2024
Kingdom of Afghanistan Wikipedia644,000 km²644,000 km²1926–1972
Kingdom of Thailand Wikipedia524,000 km²524,000 km²1932–2024
Territory of Papua and New Guinea (Australian)480,000 km²480,000 km²1946–1974
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia456,000 km²456,000 km²980–2024

Also on the map: Kingdom of Iraq, Kingdom of Norway, Japan, Paraguay, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Finland, Muscat and Oman, Republic of Poland, New Zealand, Italian Republic, Republic of Ecuador, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Germany, Romanian People's Republic, Second Syrian Republic, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, North Yemen, Surinam (Dutch colony), Nepal, Republic of Nicaragua, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Czechoslovakia, Republic of Cuba, Kingdom of Greece, Honduras, German Democratic Republic, Republic of Iceland, Guatemala, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Korea, Republic of Liberia, Hungarian People's Republic, Second Republic of Austria, Republic of Panama, Netherlands, Ireland, Dominion of Ceylon, Kingdom of Bhutan, Republic of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Republic of China, Swiss Confederation, Haiti, Kingdom of Belgium, People's Republic of Albania, State of Israel, Republic of El Salvador, New Hebrides, Lebanon, Luxembourg, West Berlin, 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 1945

New on the map: People's Republic of China, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Dominion of Pakistan, Burma, Territory of Papua and New Guinea (Australian), Kingdom of Iraq, Japan, Republic of the Philippines, New Zealand, Italian Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, Romanian People's Republic, Second Syrian Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, German Democratic Republic, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Korea, Hungarian People's Republic, Dominion of Ceylon, Republic of China, People's Republic of Albania, State of Israel, West Berlin.

Gone from the map: Empire of Japan, Republic of China, British Raj, Allied-occupied Germany, Kingdom of Italy, East Turkestan Republic, Kingdom of Romania, French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Kingdom of Hungary, Communist-held China, Albania.

What comes next: 1960

Appear by 1960: French Fifth Republic, Republic of Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kingdom of Libya, Mali Federation, United Arab Republic, Somali Republic, Madagascar, Iraqi Republic, Republic of Cameroon, Morocco, Guinea, Ghana, Kingdom of Laos, Kingdom of Cambodia, Republic of Vietnam, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Republic of Tunisia, Federation of Malaya, Togo.

Gone by 1960: French Fourth Republic, French Africa, Kingdom of Egypt, Tibet, French Indochina, Kingdom of Iraq, Second Syrian Republic.

Read the history of 1950

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 1950?

The map data draws 93 states and other polities in the World in 1950. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the French Fourth Republic, the French Africa, the British Empire and Canada.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1950?

Of the states on this map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held the most land in total: about 21.9 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1950 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1950, 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 1950