The world in 1920
On 1 July 1920, IntMap’s historical map draws 212 names across the world. The borders for this date come from CShapes 2.0 (day by day), then OpenHistoricalMap (day by day), then Cliopatria, Seshat Global History Databank (by year) — each drawn only where the records before it are silent. It also draws 4 outlines whose name the record does not give for this date.
Why this year has a page
The historical-basemaps atlas drew a world sheet for this year.
Names on the map
As the map labels them, largest first by the area of the outline drawn. Areas are of the drawn outline, rounded, and approximate. The record column says which record draws the outline; a Wikidata item is given where the record links one.
| Name | Record | Drawn area (km²) |
|---|---|---|
| Soviet Russia (RSFSR) | CShapes 2.0 | 21,400,000 |
| Canada | CShapes 2.0 | 9,530,000 |
| Republic of China | CShapes 2.0 | 9,060,000 |
| Brazil | CShapes 2.0 · OpenHistoricalMap Q155 | 8,520,000 |
| United States | CShapes 2.0 · OpenHistoricalMap Q30 | 7,940,000 |
| Australia | CShapes 2.0 | 7,710,000 |
| British Raj (British India) | CShapes 2.0 | 4,910,000 |
| Argentina | CShapes 2.0 · OpenHistoricalMap Q414 | 2,810,000 |
| Anglo-Egyptian Sudan | CShapes 2.0 | 2,590,000 |
| Denmark | CShapes 2.0 · OpenHistoricalMap Q35 | 2,360,000 |
| Belgian Congo (Belgium) | CShapes 2.0 | 2,340,000 |
| Algeria (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 2,320,000 |
| Mexico | CShapes 2.0 | 1,970,000 |
| Dutch East Indies | CShapes 2.0 | 1,900,000 |
| Tibet | CShapes 2.0 | 1,810,000 |
| Persia | CShapes 2.0 | 1,620,000 |
| Egypt (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 1,520,000 |
| Alaska (USA) | CShapes 2.0 | 1,500,000 |
| French Sudan (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 1,470,000 |
| Chad (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 1,280,000 |
| Angola (Portugal) | CShapes 2.0 | 1,250,000 |
| Peru | CShapes 2.0 | 1,250,000 |
| Union of South Africa | CShapes 2.0 | 1,220,000 |
| Ottoman Empire | CShapes 2.0 · OpenHistoricalMap Q12560 | 1,220,000 |
| Bolivia | CShapes 2.0 | 1,200,000 |
| Niger (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 1,190,000 |
| Ethiopian Empire | CShapes 2.0 | 1,130,000 |
| Colombia | CShapes 2.0 | 1,100,000 |
| Libya (Italy) | CShapes 2.0 | 1,010,000 |
| Tanganyika (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 943,000 |
| Venezuela | CShapes 2.0 · Cliopatria Q717 | 929,000 |
| Nigeria (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 867,000 |
| Mauritania (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 829,000 |
| South West Africa (South Africa) | CShapes 2.0 | 827,000 |
| Mozambique (Portugal) | CShapes 2.0 | 790,000 |
| Northern Rhodesia (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 755,000 |
| Chile | CShapes 2.0 | 749,000 |
| Afghanistan | CShapes 2.0 | 642,000 |
| British East Africa (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 639,000 |
| Ubangi-Shari (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 621,000 |
| Madagascar (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 598,000 |
| Bechuanaland (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 580,000 |
| French Third Republic | CShapes 2.0 · Cliopatria Q70802 | 564,000 |
| Siam | CShapes 2.0 | 515,000 |
| Spain | CShapes 2.0 | 507,000 |
| Weimar Republic | CShapes 2.0 | 470,000 |
| Emirate of Nejd | Cliopatria Q146862 | 457,000 |
| Sweden | CShapes 2.0 | 444,000 |
| French Cameroons (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 425,000 |
| Finland | CShapes 2.0 · OpenHistoricalMap Q33 | 424,000 |
All 212 names
| Name | Record | Drawn area (km²) |
|---|---|---|
| Empire of Japan | CShapes 2.0 · OpenHistoricalMap | 414,000 |
| Newfoundland | CShapes 2.0 | 400,000 |
| Southern Rhodesia (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 391,000 |
| Italian Somaliland | CShapes 2.0 | 373,000 |
| Morocco (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 351,000 |
| French Congo (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 346,000 |
| Ecuador | CShapes 2.0 | 344,000 |
| Vietnam (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 327,000 |
| Cote d'Ivoire (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 323,000 |
| Norway | CShapes 2.0 | 322,000 |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | CShapes 2.0 | 316,000 |
| Muscat and Oman | CShapes 2.0 | 310,000 |
| Kingdom of Italy | CShapes 2.0 · Cliopatria Q172579 | 303,000 |
| Philippines (USA) | CShapes 2.0 | 299,000 |
| Paraguay | CShapes 2.0 | 294,000 |
| Uganda (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 284,000 |
| Iraq (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 275,000 |
| Upper Volta (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 273,000 |
| New Zealand | CShapes 2.0 | 271,000 |
| Spanish West Africa | CShapes 2.0 | 270,000 |
| Gabon (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 263,000 |
| Poland | CShapes 2.0 | 256,000 |
| Kingdom of Yugoslavia | CShapes 2.0 | 255,000 |
| Romania | CShapes 2.0 | 251,000 |
| Aden Protectorate | OpenHistoricalMap Q1865132 | 248,000 |
| French Guinea (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 246,000 |
| Emirate of Jabal Shammar | Cliopatria Q5362837 | 245,000 |
| New Guinea (Australia) | CShapes 2.0 | 240,000 |
| Laos (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 231,000 |
| Papua (Australia) | CShapes 2.0 | 226,000 |
| Korea (Japan) | CShapes 2.0 | 221,000 |
| Gold Coast (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 213,000 |
| British Guiana (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 212,000 |
| Senegal (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 197,000 |
| Emirate of Bukhara | CShapes 2.0 | 194,000 |
| Cambodia (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 183,000 |
| Syria (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 182,000 |
| Uruguay | CShapes 2.0 | 178,000 |
| British Somaliland (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 173,000 |
| Tunisia (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 156,000 |
| Nepal | CShapes 2.0 | 147,000 |
| Dutch Guiana (Netherlands) | CShapes 2.0 | 146,000 |
| Czechoslovakia | CShapes 2.0 | 140,000 |
| Yemen | CShapes 2.0 | 137,000 |
| Greece | CShapes 2.0 | 132,000 |
| Nicaragua | CShapes 2.0 | 129,000 |
| Sarawak | CShapes 2.0 | 125,000 |
| Eritrea (Italy) | CShapes 2.0 | 122,000 |
| Nyasaland (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 119,000 |
| Dahomey (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 117,000 |
| Honduras | CShapes 2.0 | 113,000 |
| Cuba | CShapes 2.0 | 111,000 |
| Guatemala | CShapes 2.0 | 109,000 |
| Bulgaria | CShapes 2.0 | 103,000 |
| Iceland (Denmark) | CShapes 2.0 | 103,000 |
| Liberia | CShapes 2.0 | 96,500 |
| Kingdom of Hungary | CShapes 2.0 | 92,700 |
| Portugal | CShapes 2.0 | 92,300 |
| British Cameroons | CShapes 2.0 | 87,900 |
| French Guiana (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 84,200 |
| Austria | CShapes 2.0 | 83,700 |
| Lithuania | CShapes 2.0 | 81,000 |
| Kingdom of Hejaz | Cliopatria Q956357 | 79,700 |
| Panama | CShapes 2.0 | 75,500 |
| North Borneo (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 73,300 |
| Sierra Leone (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 72,900 |
| Federated Malay States | CShapes 2.0 | 71,900 |
| Trucial Oman (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 70,900 |
| Ceylon (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 66,800 |
| Latvia | CShapes 2.0 | 65,800 |
| British Empire | Cliopatria Q8680 | 64,700 |
| French West Africa | OpenHistoricalMap Q210682 | 57,800 |
| Unfederated Malay States | CShapes 2.0 | 57,600 |
| Spanish Morocco | CShapes 2.0 | 53,300 |
| Ruanda-Urundi (Belgium) | CShapes 2.0 | 52,600 |
| Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic | OpenHistoricalMap Q2184 | 52,300 |
| Costa Rica | CShapes 2.0 | 51,600 |
| Estonia | CShapes 2.0 | 49,300 |
| Dominican Republic | CShapes 2.0 | 48,700 |
| Transjordan (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 45,200 |
| North Yemen | Cliopatria Q1998401 | 43,100 |
| Switzerland | CShapes 2.0 | 41,400 |
| Bhutan | CShapes 2.0 | 39,900 |
| Asir | Cliopatria | 38,000 |
| Taiwan (Japan) | CShapes 2.0 | 36,200 |
| Netherlands | CShapes 2.0 | 35,000 |
| Karafuto (Japan) | CShapes 2.0 | 33,800 |
| Portuguese Guinea (Portugal) | CShapes 2.0 | 33,600 |
| Maldives Protectorate | OpenHistoricalMap Q1074669 | 31,300 |
| Basutoland (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 30,600 |
| Belgium | CShapes 2.0 | 30,500 |
| Albania | CShapes 2.0 | 28,700 |
| New Hebrides / Nouvelles-Hébrides | OpenHistoricalMap Q752431 | 28,300 |
| British Solomon Islands (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 27,800 |
| Haiti | CShapes 2.0 | 27,500 |
| Spanish Guinea (Spain) | CShapes 2.0 | 27,200 |
| Mandatory Palestine | CShapes 2.0 | 27,000 |
| German Togoland | CShapes 2.0 | 26,700 |
| New Caledonia (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 24,000 |
| British Honduras (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 22,300 |
| Protectorate of Kuwait | OpenHistoricalMap Q817 | 22,200 |
| French Somaliland (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 21,600 |
| El Salvador | CShapes 2.0 | 20,700 |
| Fiji (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 18,500 |
| Hawaii (USA) | CShapes 2.0 | 17,300 |
| Swaziland (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 17,100 |
| British Western Pacific Territories | OpenHistoricalMap Q1545934 | 15,700 |
| Portuguese Timor (Portugal) | CShapes 2.0 | 15,300 |
| Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony | OpenHistoricalMap Q1050859 | 15,100 |
| French Polynesia (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 13,000 |
| Bahamas (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 12,800 |
| Jamaica (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 11,200 |
| Qatar (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 11,100 |
| Gambia (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 10,900 |
| Brazilian Republic | Cliopatria Q155 | 10,700 |
| Lebanon (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 10,300 |
| Puerto Rico (USA) | CShapes 2.0 | 9,310 |
| Cyprus | CShapes 2.0 | 9,300 |
| Protectorate of Tonga | OpenHistoricalMap Q23022146 | 8,310 |
| British Colonial Empire | Cliopatria Q8680 | 8,180 |
| Colony of Seychelles | OpenHistoricalMap Q1042 | 7,520 |
| British Guiana | OpenHistoricalMap Q1796551 | 6,900 |
| French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon | Cliopatria Q139708 | 6,510 |
| Sultanate of Lahej | OpenHistoricalMap Q404774 | 5,970 |
| Tanganyika Territory | OpenHistoricalMap Q158725 | 5,780 |
| Zanzibar Protectorate | OpenHistoricalMap Q3574782 | 5,780 |
| Brunei (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 5,770 |
| British occupation of German Samoa | OpenHistoricalMap Q2081983 | 5,240 |
| Dominion of New Zealand | OpenHistoricalMap Q2594990 | 5,240 |
| Trinidad and Tobago (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 5,240 |
| British Windward Islands | OpenHistoricalMap Q2660774 | 4,870 |
| Colony of Guadelupe | OpenHistoricalMap Q17012 | 4,740 |
| Cook Islands | OpenHistoricalMap Q26988 | 4,410 |
| Cape Verde | CShapes 2.0 | 4,040 |
| La Réunion | OpenHistoricalMap Q17070 | 3,930 |
| Straits Settlements | CShapes 2.0 | 3,700 |
| British Hong Kong | OpenHistoricalMap Q1054923 | 2,900 |
| Reunion (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 2,650 |
| British Solomon Islands Protectorate | OpenHistoricalMap Q13410267 | 2,620 |
| Sultanate of Zanzibar | CShapes 2.0 | 2,600 |
| Luxembourg | CShapes 2.0 | 2,570 |
| Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe | OpenHistoricalMap Q7232692 | 2,560 |
| Memel Territory (Allies) | CShapes 2.0 | 2,490 |
| Mauritius (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 2,160 |
| Kwangchowan | OpenHistoricalMap Q1506615 | 2,120 |
| Danzig | CShapes 2.0 | 2,030 |
| Guadeloupe (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 1,660 |
| Cayman Islands | OpenHistoricalMap Q5785 | 1,520 |
| Isle of Man | OpenHistoricalMap Q9676 | 1,350 |
| Martinique (France) | CShapes 2.0 | 1,200 |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | OpenHistoricalMap Q34617 | 1,100 |
| Wallis and Futuna Colony | OpenHistoricalMap Q35555 | 1,010 |
| Jersey | OpenHistoricalMap Q785 | 986 |
| Guernsey | OpenHistoricalMap Q25230 | 909 |
| French Settlements in India | OpenHistoricalMap Q646374 | 727 |
| Pitcairn Islands | OpenHistoricalMap Q35672 | 691 |
| Colony of Bermuda | OpenHistoricalMap Q23635 | 557 |
| Saint Helena Crown Colony | OpenHistoricalMap Q192184 | 507 |
| Barbados (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 457 |
| Malta | CShapes 2.0 | 292 |
| Nauru | OpenHistoricalMap Q697 | 216 |
| Maldives (UK) | CShapes 2.0 | 27.8 |
What changed since 1919
Names counted are those the records date to the year or the day (CShapes, OpenHistoricalMap, Cliopatria). Outlines filled from the nearest historical-basemaps sheet are counted only when both years are years that sheet was drawn for — otherwise the change would be the switch between two sheets, not a change in the world. Names are compared as written, so a polity a record names differently in the two years (Carthaginian Empire, then Carthage) is in both lists.
Now drawn (12)
Iraq (UK), New Guinea (Australia), Syria (France), Kingdom of Hungary, Ruanda-Urundi (Belgium), Transjordan (UK), Mandatory Palestine, Lebanon (France), French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, Tanganyika Territory, Memel Territory (Allies), Nauru
No longer drawn (6)
Hungary, German New Guinea, Khanate of Khiva, Australian occupation of German New Guinea, British Africa, Australian occupation of Nauru
Events dated to 1920
Every record of IntMap’s one index of dated events whose date falls in this year: what the border record (CShapes 2.0) states about its own outlines, IntMap’s war record, and the world events Wikidata dates — each with its source and the precision of its date.
- 1920
The map stops drawing Khanate of Khiva; new borders for Soviet Russia (RSFSR)
the border record (CShapes 2.0) · 1920-02-02
On this day → - 1920
New borders for Weimar Republic, Czechoslovakia
the border record (CShapes 2.0) · 1920-02-04
On this day → - 1920
- 1920
The map begins drawing Memel Territory (Allies); new borders for Weimar Republic
the border record (CShapes 2.0) · 1920-02-15
On this day → - 1920
The map begins drawing Iraq (UK), Syria (France), Transjordan (UK) and 2 more; new borders for Ottoman Empire
the border record (CShapes 2.0) · 1920-04-26
On this day → - 1920
New borders for Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Romania, Kingdom of Hungary
the border record (CShapes 2.0) · 1920-06-04
On this day → - 1920
The map begins drawing New Guinea (Australia), Ruanda-Urundi (Belgium); the map stops drawing German New Guinea; new borders for Tanganyika (UK)
the border record (CShapes 2.0) · 1920-06-28
On this day → - 1920
The map begins drawing Kenya (UK); the map stops drawing British East Africa (UK)
the border record (CShapes 2.0) · 1920-07-23
On this day → - 1920
The map stops drawing Emirate of Bukhara; new borders for Soviet Russia (RSFSR)
the border record (CShapes 2.0) · 1920-09-02
On this day → - 1920
- 1920
New borders for Soviet Russia (RSFSR), Romania
the border record (CShapes 2.0) · 1920-10-28
On this day → - 1920
New borders for Kingdom of Italy, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
the border record (CShapes 2.0) · 1920-11-12
On this day → - 1920
Sources and method
Borders and names: CShapes 2.0 (Schvitz et al. 2022, icr.ethz.ch/data/cshapes) · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 + OpenHistoricalMap (openhistoricalmap.org) · CC0 1.0 · adapted by IntMap: the admin_level=2 relations in force from 1886, less the ground CShapes states on its own dates + Cliopatria v0.2.1 (Seshat Global History Databank, github.com/Seshat-Global-History-Databank/cliopatria) · CC BY 4.0 · adapted by IntMap: simplified, BC years made astronomical, and the ground OpenHistoricalMap (1689–1885, and from 1886 where CShapes is silent) and CShapes (1886–2019) state removed on their own dates.
Which years have a page is worked out when the site is built, from three rules applied to the records themselves: every year the historical-basemaps atlas drew a world sheet for; every year whose change from the year before (names the dated records begin or stop drawing) is in the top 5% of all such year-to-year changes since the dated records begin, leaving out the years where one record hands over to another; and every year of a geopolitical, war or revolution event in the dated events index, up to the last year the border records cover (2019).
On each year the map is read on 1 July, the instant the app’s own year links open on. Names are the source’s own, translated where the source or IntMap’s name table has a translation. A name is what a record draws there, not a verdict of history.
World map in 1920 — the map, with the years it stays the same Historical maps by region Countries On this day