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Historical map · 2020

Map of the World in 2020

In 2020, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 189 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Russian Federation, Canada and the United States of America.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 2020. 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 2020 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 2020
Atlas map: Two Movements Compared (2015)
FROM THE ATLAS · PROTEST AND CHANGE, CHAPTER 12: TWO MOVEMENTS COMPARED (2015)

States and empires in the World in 2020

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Russian Federation Wikipedia33.7 million km²33.7 million km²1992–2024
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
Kazakhstan Wikipedia2.6 million km²2.6 million km²1992–2024
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1963–2024
Democratic Republic of the Congo Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1960–2024
Denmark Wikipedia2.3 million km²2.3 million km²1333–2024
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
Republic of Sudan Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²1956–2024
Islamic Republic of Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1979–2024
State of Libya Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²2014–2024
Mongolia Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1992–2024
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1822–2024
Republic of Chad Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1961–2024
Republic of Angola Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1976–2024
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
Ethiopia Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1942–2024
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 Wikipedia767,000 km²767,000 km²1924–2024
Zambia Wikipedia750,000 km²750,000 km²1965–2024
French Fifth Republic Wikipedia681,000 km²681,000 km²1958–2024

Also on the map: Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Federal Republic of Somalia, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Madagascar, Ukraine, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Botswana, United Kingdom, Kingdom of Thailand, Kingdom of Spain, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Cameroon, Turkmenistan, Republic of Yemen, Kingdom of Sweden, Republic of Iraq, Kingdom of Norway, Republic of Uzbekistan, Japan, Morocco, Paraguay, Republic of Zimbabwe, Federal Republic of Germany, Malaysia, Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Philippines, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Republic of Finland, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Sultanate of Oman, Republic of Poland, New Zealand, Italian Republic, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Republic of Ecuador, Guinea, Ghana, Romania, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Guyana, Republic of Uganda, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Senegal, Kyrgyzstan, Kingdom of Cambodia, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Republic of Tunisia, Nepal, Republic of Suriname, People's Republic of Bangladesh, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Nicaragua, State of Eritrea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Cuba, Third Hellenic Republic, Syria, Republic of Benin, Honduras, Republic of Iceland, Republic of Bulgaria, Guatemala, Republic of Korea, Republic of Liberia, Portugal, Malawi, Hungary, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Second Republic of Austria, Republic of Panama, Czech Republic, United Arab Emirates, Republic of Serbia, Netherlands, Ireland, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Republic of Azerbaijan, Contested areas of Syria and Iraq (source outline from 2014), Georgia, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Togo, Republic of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Republic of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Republic of Estonia, Republic of Armenia, Republic of China, Kingdom of Bhutan, Swiss Confederation, Solomon Islands, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Haiti, Kingdom of Belgium, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Moldova, State of Israel, Republic of Albania, Republic of Rwanda, North Macedonia, Republic of Burundi, Belize, Republic of Djibouti, Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Fiji, British Overseas Territories, Republic of Slovenia, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Timor-Leste, Kuwait, Eswatini, Vanuatu, Montenegro 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 2010

New on the map: State of Libya, South Sudan, Contested areas of Syria and Iraq (source outline from 2014).

Gone from the map: Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

Read the history of 2020

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 2020?

The map data draws 189 states and other polities in the World in 2020. The largest by land were the Russian Federation, 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 2020?

Of the states on this map, the Russian Federation held the most land in total: about 33.7 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 2020 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 2020, 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 2020