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Historical map · 1990

Map of the World in 1990

In 1990, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 163 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Canada and the United States of America.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1990. 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 1990 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1990
Atlas map: Camps, Screening and the CPA (1989)
FROM THE ATLAS · UPROOTED, CHAPTER 11: CAMPS, SCREENING AND THE CPA (1989)

States and empires in the World in 1990

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Wikipedia21.8 million km²21.8 million km²1922–1991
Canada Wikipedia10.0 million km²10.0 million km²1932–2024
United States of America Wikipedia9.4 million km²9.4 million km²1776–2024
People's Republic of China Wikipedia9.4 million km²9.4 million km²1950–2024
Federative Republic of Brazil Wikipedia8.6 million km²8.6 million km²1890–2024
Commonwealth of Australia Wikipedia7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1905–2024
Republic of India Wikipedia3.2 million km²3.2 million km²1947–2024
Argentine Republic Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1930–2024
Republic of Sudan Wikipedia2.5 million km²2.5 million km²1956–2024
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1963–2024
Zaire Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1971–1996
Denmark Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1333–2024
Republic of Indonesia Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1946–2024
Mexico2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1868–2024
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1936–2024
Islamic Republic of Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1979–2024
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1969–2013
Mongolian People's Republic Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1925–1991
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1822–2024
Republic of Chad Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1961–2024
People's Republic of Angola Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1976–2024
Ethiopia Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1942–2024
Republic of Mali1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1961–2024
South Africa Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1932–2024
Republic of the Niger Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1961–2024
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1866–2024
Bolivia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1825–2024
Mauritania Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1961–2024
Arab Republic of Egypt Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1953–2024
Venezuela Wikipedia941,000 km²941,000 km²1811–2024
Federal Republic of Nigeria Wikipedia915,000 km²915,000 km²1961–2024
Tanzania Wikipedia890,000 km²890,000 km²1964–2024
Islamic Republic of Pakistan Wikipedia877,000 km²877,000 km²1947–2024
Namibia Wikipedia834,000 km²834,000 km²1990–2024
Republic of Chile Wikipedia803,000 km²803,000 km²1812–2024
Mozambique Wikipedia787,000 km²787,000 km²1976–2024
Republic of Turkey Wikipedia768,000 km²768,000 km²1924–2024
Zambia Wikipedia750,000 km²750,000 km²1965–2024
French Fifth Republic Wikipedia680,000 km²680,000 km²1958–2024
Union of Myanmar Wikipedia678,000 km²678,000 km²1820–2024

Also on the map: Somali Democratic Republic, Republic of Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Madagascar, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Botswana, Kingdom of Thailand, Kingdom of Spain, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Cameroon, Republic of Yemen, Iraqi Republic, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Norway, Japan, Morocco, Paraguay, Republic of Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Philippines, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Republic of Finland, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, British Empire, Sultanate of Oman, Republic of Poland, New Zealand, Italian Republic, Burkina Faso, United Kingdom, Gabon, Republic of Ecuador, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Guinea, Federal Republic of Germany, Ghana, Romania, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Guyana, Republic of Uganda, Republic of Senegal, Syria, State of Cambodia, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Republic of Tunisia, Nepal, Republic of Suriname, People's Republic of Bangladesh, Republic of Nicaragua, Czechoslovakia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Cuba, Third Hellenic Republic, Republic of Benin, Honduras, German Democratic Republic, Republic of Iceland, People's Republic of Bulgaria, Guatemala, Republic of Korea, Republic of Liberia, Portugal, Malawi, Hungary, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Second Republic of Austria, Republic of Panama, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Ireland, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Republic of Lithuania, Togo, Republic of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Republic of China, Kingdom of Bhutan, Swiss Confederation, Solomon Islands, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Haiti, Kingdom of Belgium, Equatorial Guinea, State of Israel, People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Burundi, Belize, Republic of Djibouti, Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Fiji, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Swaziland, Vanuatu, Jamaica, State of Qatar, Republic of The Gambia, Lebanon, Sultanate of Brunei, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Cabo Verde, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (recognised only by Turkey), Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, Mauritius, Luxembourg, São Tomé and Príncipe, Commonwealth of Dominica, State of Bahrain, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Republic of Singapore, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, West Berlin and others.

"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 1980

New on the map: Namibia, Republic of Yemen, Republic of Poland, Burkina Faso, Romania, State of Cambodia, Hungary, Republic of Lithuania, Belize, Vanuatu, Sultanate of Brunei, Federated States of Micronesia.

Gone from the map: People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Polish People's Republic, Republic of Upper Volta, Socialist Republic of Romania, People's Republic of Kampuchea, North Yemen, Hungarian People's Republic, State of Kuwait, New Hebrides.

What comes next: 2000

Appear by 2000: Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mongolia, Ukraine, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban), Turkmenistan, Republic of Uzbekistan, Federal Republic of Germany, Republic of Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kingdom of Cambodia, Republic of Tajikistan, State of Eritrea, Republic of Bulgaria, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Czech Republic, Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Republic of Estonia, Republic of Armenia, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Albania, Republic of Macedonia, British Overseas Territories, Republic of Slovenia and others.

Gone by 2000: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Zaire, Mongolian People's Republic, British Empire, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Germany, State of Cambodia, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, People's Republic of Bulgaria, People's Socialist Republic of Albania, West Berlin.

Read the history of 1990

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 1990?

The map data draws 163 states and other polities in the World in 1990. The largest by land were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Canada, the United States of America, the People's Republic of China and the Federative Republic of Brazil.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1990?

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 1990 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1990, 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 1990