43 countries
Map of Asia in 1924
Asia after the Ottoman Empire
Asia in 1924: the First World War had swept away the Ottoman and Russian empires. Turkey was a republic, France and Britain had shared out the Arab provinces as League of Nations mandates, and the Soviet Union had just been born.
- France ran Syria and Greater Lebanon; Britain ran Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq, which had a king of its own, Faisal I.
- The Arabian Peninsula held the Kingdom of Hejaz, with Mecca and Medina, Ibn Saud's Sultanate of Nejd and the Emirate of Asir: Saudi Arabia would only be founded in 1932.
- Turkey, a republic since 1923 with Ankara as capital, kept Anatolia and Istanbul; the Sanjak of Alexandretta (Hatay) was Syrian.
- Tuva and Mongolia were independent people's republics, under Soviet influence.
- Japan still ruled Korea, Taiwan and southern Sakhalin, and British India still took in Burma. The population figures on this map are estimates of the time: the quiz only uses them to compare.
How it is made: the coasts are today's, and the borders follow today's divisions where they match those of the time and, where they do not, lines drawn by hand, good to about 10 km. Shapes: Natural Earth (public domain). Compare with today's Asia →
Facts: the map of Asia in 1924
- On the map
- 43 countries · 13 are so small they show as a dot (complete level)
- Largest country
- Soviet Union (≈ 21,700,000 km²)
- Smallest country
- Portuguese Macau (≈ 30 km²)
- Most populous country
- Republic of China (≈ 450,000,000 people)
- Least populous country
- Brunei (British protectorate) (≈ 30,000 people)
- Northernmost capital
- Moscow (Soviet Union)
- Southernmost capital
- Dili (Portuguese Timor)
- Most neighbours
- British India: 11
- No land border with another country on the map
- American Philippines, Bahrain (British protectorate), British Cyprus, Ceylon, and Maldives (British protectorate)
Fun facts: Map of Asia in 1924
- France and Britain shared out the Ottoman Empire's Arab provinces as League of Nations mandates.
- Turkey was proclaimed a republic in October 1923, with Mustafa Kemal as president and Ankara as capital.
- The Hejaz, with Mecca and Medina, was an independent kingdom; Ibn Saud conquered it in 1925.
- In March 1924 Turkey abolished the caliphate.
- Tuva was an independent country from 1921 to 1944, when it joined the Soviet Union.
- The Soviet Union was founded in December 1922; Lenin died in January 1924.
- Burma was part of British India until 1937.
- Urga was renamed Ulaanbaatar in 1924, when the Mongolian People's Republic was born.
Test yourself
Which was the largest country of Asia in 1924?
Soviet Union.
Which was the most populous country of Asia in 1924?
Republic of China.
Which was the smallest country of Asia in 1924?
Portuguese Macau.
Which was the least populous country of Asia in 1924?
Qatar (British protectorate).
More maps
Asia in 191436 countriesAsia in 194543 countriesAsia48 countriesEurope in 188027 countriesEurope in 191426 countriesEurope in 193836 countriesEurope in 194536 countriesEurope in 198935 countriesAfrica in 191444 countriesAfrica in 196052 countriesLatin America in 181017 countriesLatin America in 182517 countries
The countries on the map of Asia in 1924, and what they are today
Today's countries that cover a good part of its land, largest share first.
Show the map with the names (to revise)
Show the table (43)
| Country | Capital | Today part of |
|---|---|---|
| Aden Protectorate | Aden | Yemen |
| Afghanistan | Kabul | Afghanistan |
| American Philippines | Manila | Philippines |
| Bahrain (British protectorate) | Manama | Bahrain |
| Bhutan | Thimphu | Bhutan |
| British Cyprus | Nicosia | Cyprus |
| British Hong Kong | Victoria | China |
| British India | Delhi | India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh |
| British Malaya | Singapore | Malaysia |
| British North Borneo | Sandakan | Malaysia |
| Brunei (British protectorate) | Brunei Town (Bandar Seri Begawan) | Brunei |
| Ceylon | Colombo | Sri Lanka |
| Dutch East Indies | Batavia (Jakarta) | Indonesia |
| Emirate of Asir | Sabya | Saudi Arabia |
| Empire of Japan | Tokyo | Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan |
| French India | Pondicherry | India |
| French Indochina | Hanoi | Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia |
| Greater Lebanon (French mandate) | Beirut | Lebanon |
| Iraq (British mandate) | Baghdad | Iraq |
| Kingdom of Hejaz | Mecca | Saudi Arabia |
| Kingdom of Yemen | Sana'a | Yemen |
| Kuwait (British protectorate) | Kuwait City | Kuwait |
| Maldives (British protectorate) | Malé | Maldives |
| Mandatory Palestine | Jerusalem | Israel, Palestine |
| Mongolian People's Republic | Ulaanbaatar | Mongolia |
| Muscat and Oman | Muscat | Oman |
| Nepal | Kathmandu | Nepal |
| Persia | Tehran | Iran |
| Portuguese India | Nova Goa (Panaji) | India |
| Portuguese Macau | Macau | China |
| Portuguese Timor | Dili | Timor-Leste |
| Qatar (British protectorate) | Doha | Qatar |
| Republic of China | Beijing (Peking) | China |
| Sarawak | Kuching | Malaysia |
| Siam | Bangkok | Thailand |
| Soviet Union | Moscow | Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia |
| Sultanate of Nejd | Riyadh | Saudi Arabia |
| Syria (French mandate) | Damascus | Syria, Turkey |
| Tibet | Lhasa | China |
| Transjordan (British mandate) | Amman | Jordan |
| Trucial States | Sharjah | United Arab Emirates |
| Turkey | Ankara | Turkey |
| Tuvan People's Republic | Kyzyl | Russia |