ConquestHeld by forceEthiopia
Italy occupies Ethiopia
- Control taken
- 1936
- Made official
- Never
Never formalized
Italian forces invade in 1935 and take Addis Ababa in May 1936. Ethiopia is liberated in 1941.
See it on the 1938 mapBorders fixed by international law
The world in 1938
The last full year of peace before the Second World War. Germany has just annexed Austria and the Sudetenland.
Explore 1938 on the mapLargest in 1938
Areas calculated from the map outlines (≈). Share of Earth's land area including Antarctica.
| # | State or people | Area | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USSR | 21,127,159 km² (8,157,242 sq mi) | 14.2% |
| 2 | United States | 9,254,114 km² (3,573,034 sq mi) | 6.2% |
| 3 | Canada | 9,125,198 km² (3,523,259 sq mi) | 6.1% |
| 4 | Brazil | 8,420,242 km² (3,251,074 sq mi) | 5.7% |
| 5 | Australia | 8,084,464 km² (3,121,429 sq mi) | 5.4% |
| 6 | Republic of China | 5,452,574 km² (2,105,251 sq mi) | 3.7% |
| 7 | British Raj | 4,811,877 km² (1,857,876 sq mi) | 3.2% |
| 8 | French West Africa | 4,626,643 km² (1,786,357 sq mi) | 3.1% |
| 9 | Argentina | 2,768,905 km² (1,069,080 sq mi) | 1.9% |
| 10 | Sudan | 2,508,088 km² (968,378 sq mi) | 1.7% |
| 11 | Saudi Arabia | 2,459,726 km² (949,706 sq mi) | 1.7% |
| 12 | Belgian Congo | 2,346,328 km² (905,922 sq mi) | 1.6% |
What changed since 1930
Comparing the two snapshots. Some differences reflect improved mapping rather than real events, especially before 1500.
Grew the most
- Empire of Japan704k km² → 1,793k km²
- Turkey0k km² → 498k km²
- Ecuador249k km² → 439k km²
- Germany422k km² → 560k km²
- Trucial Oman103k km² → 205k km²
- Finland334k km² → 367k km²
- Greece119k km² → 139k km²
Shrank the most
- French Equatorial Africa2,486k km² → 2,157k km²
- French Indo-China414k km² → 255k km²
- Czechoslovakia141k km² → 91k km²
Appeared
- Saudi Arabia2,460k km²
- Algeria (France)2,310k km²
- Libya1,618k km²
- Iran1,600k km²
- Angola (Portugal)1,235k km²
- Ethiopia (Italy)1,136k km²
- Mozambique (Portugal)781k km²
- Siam506k km²
Disappeared
- Algeria2,310k km²
- Libya (IT)1,618k km²
- Persia1,589k km²
- Angola1,235k km²
- Ethiopia1,136k km²
- Manchuria1,122k km²
- Mozambique781k km²
- Republic of Turkey517k km²
Land that changed hands, 1930 – 1938
AnnexationHeld by forceAustria
Germany annexes Austria
- Control taken
- 1938
- Made official
- Never
Never formalized
Austria is absorbed in March 1938. It is re-established in 1945, and full sovereignty returns with the 1955 Austrian State Treaty.
See it on the 1938 mapCessionMade officialCzech lands
Munich Agreement hands the Sudetenland to Germany
- Control taken
- 1938
- Made official
- 1938
Formalized the same year · Munich Agreement (Czechoslovakia not consulted)
Britain, France and Italy agree to the transfer without Czechoslovakia at the table. Germany occupies the rest of the Czech lands in March 1939.
See it on the 1938 map