PastlasHistorical atlas

Year

The world in 1939

In 1939 the atlas holds 412 states standing across 6 regions. 104 things began that year - World War II, Francium and Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact among them - and 21 ended; 77 people were born and 67 died.

Only what Wikidata dates to the year is counted here; a thing dated to its decade is on the 1930s page, and to its century on the 20th century.

What began in 1939

By kind, the best known first; a war or a state is listed in the year it began.

States 10

Wars and battles 65

and 55 more in the atlas.

Regime change 2

Unrest and atrocity 12

and 2 more in the atlas.

Natural disasters 2

Treaties 11

and 1 more in the atlas.

Works and ideas 2

What ended in 1939

States that fell or were replaced, and wars and other things that ran past the year they began.

States 13

and 3 more in the atlas.

Wars and battles 5

Unrest and atrocity 1

Treaties 2

Born and died

By how many Wikipedias write about them.

Born in 1939 77

and 61 more in the atlas.

Died in 1939 67

and 51 more in the atlas.

Standing in 1939

The states the atlas holds as standing that year, by region, the best known first, with who held the highest office where the record dates it.

Europe: 85 statesEurope85Middle East and North Africa: 50 statesMiddle East and North Africa50Sub-Saharan Africa: 24 statesSub-Saharan Africa24South Asia: 156 statesSouth Asia156East and Southeast Asia: 56 statesEast and Southeast Asia56Americas and Oceania: 35 statesAmericas and Oceania35Location unknown: 6 statesLocation unknown6

Europe85 states

and 75 more; every state of Europe.

Middle East and North Africa50 states

and 40 more; every state of Middle East and North Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa24 states

and 14 more; every state of Sub-Saharan Africa.

South Asia156 states

and 146 more; every state of South Asia.

East and Southeast Asia56 states

and 46 more; every state of East and Southeast Asia.

Americas and Oceania35 states

and 25 more; every state of Americas and Oceania.

Location unknown6 states

Open in the atlas

  • On the timeline, 1914 – 1964: every state, war and life of 1939 and the years either side, region by region.
  • On the map in 1939: the borders of the year, its cities under their names of the year, and what happened where.

Wikidata (CC0) · data built 2026-10-07 · Pastlas v2.13.1, by Oleh Voronko. The published atlas and its data are for non-commercial use.