This is a list of sovereign states in the 1930s, giving an overview of states around the world during the period between 1 January 1930 and 31 December 1939. It contains entries, arranged alphabetically, with information on the status and recognition of their sovereignty. It includes 77 widely recognized sovereign states, entities which were de facto sovereign but which were not widely recognized by other states, and 1 state which was initially unrecognized but then gained full recognition later in the decade.
Name and capital city | Information on status and recognition of sovereignty |
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A[edit] | |
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→ Afghanistan – Kingdom of Afghanistan Capital: Kabul |
Widely recognized independent state. LON member state (from 27 September 1934). |
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→ Albania – Albanian Kingdom (to April 12, 1939) Capital: Tirana |
Widely recognized LON member state. Under occupation by Italy from April 12, 1939. |
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→ Andorra – Principality of Andorra Capital: Andorra la Vella |
Widely recognized independent state. |
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Argentina – Argentine Republic Capital: Buenos Aires |
Widely recognized LON member state. Argentina was a federation of 15 provinces and 9 federal territories.[a] It had a claim over Argentine Antarctica. It also claimed the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, both of which were British crown colonies. |
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Aussa – Sultanate of Aussa (to 1936) Capital: Aussa |
Widely recognized state. Annexed into Italian East Africa. |
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Australia – Commonwealth of Australia Capital: Canberra |
Widely recognized LON member state; Commonwealth realm. Australia was a federation of six states and three territories.[b] It had sovereignty over the following external territories:
Australia administered two League of Nations mandates:
|
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→ Austria (to March 12, 1938) Capital: Vienna
|
Widely recognized LON member state. Annexed by Nazi Germany on March 12, 1938. |
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B[edit] | |
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Belgium – Kingdom of Belgium Capital: Brussels |
Widely recognized LON member state. Belgium had sovereignty over one colony and one concession:
Belgium administered one League of Nations mandate:
|
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Bolivia
Capital: Sucre (official), La Paz (administrative)
|
Widely recognized independent state. |
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Brazil Capital: Rio de Janeiro
|
Widely recognized independent state. Brazil was a federation of 20 states, one territory, and one federal district.[c] |
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Bulgaria – Kingdom of Bulgaria Capital: Sofia |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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C[edit] | |
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Canada – Dominion of Canada Capital: Ottawa |
Widely recognized LON member state; Commonwealth realm. |
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Chile Capital: Santiago
|
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on May 14, 1938. |
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China – Republic of China Capital: Nanjing |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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Colombia – Republic of Colombia Capital: Bogotá |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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Costa Rica – Republic of Costa Rica Capital: San José |
Widely recognized independent state. |
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Cuba – Republic of Cuba Capital: Havana |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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Czechoslovakia (to 14 March 1939) Capital: Prague
|
Widely recognized LON member state. Under occupation by Nazi Germany from 15 May 1939. A government in exile was regarded as the legitimate government by the Allies. |
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D[edit] | |
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Danzig – Free City of Danzig (to 12 September 1939) Capital: Danzig |
Widely recognized independent state. Annexed by Nazi Germany from 12 September 1939. |
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Denmark – Kingdom of Denmark Capital: Copenhagen |
Widely recognized LON member state. Denmark had sovereignty over one possession: |
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Dominican Republic – Third Dominican Republic Capital: Santo Domingo |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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E[edit] | |
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Ecuador – Republic of Ecuador Capital: Quito |
Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from September 28, 1934. |
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Egypt – Kingdom of Egypt Capital: Cairo |
Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from May 26, 1937. |
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El Salvador Capital: San Salvador
|
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on August 11, 1937. |
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Estonia – Republic of Estonia Capital: Tallinn |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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Ethiopia – Ethiopian Empire (to 9 May 1936) Capital: Addis Ababa |
Widely recognized LON member state. Under occupation by Italy from May 9, 1936, and annexed into Italian East Africa from June 1, 1936. |
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F[edit] | |
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Finland – Republic of Finland Capital: Helsinki |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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France – French Republic Capital: Paris |
Widely recognized LON member state. France administered the foreign affairs of the following colonies and protectorates:
France administered the following League of Nations mandates:
|
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G[edit] | |
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→ → Germany Capital: Berlin
|
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on October 19, 1933. |
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→ Greece Capital: Athens
|
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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Guatemala – Republic of Guatemala Capital: Guatemala City |
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on May 26, 1936. |
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H[edit] | |
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Haiti – Republic of Haiti Capital: Port-au-Prince |
Widely recognized LON member state under United States occupation to August 1, 1934. |
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Honduras Capital: Tegucigalpa
|
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on July 10, 1936. |
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Hungary – Kingdom of Hungary Capital: Budapest |
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on April 11, 1939. |
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I[edit] | |
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Iceland – Kingdom of Iceland Capital: Reykjavík |
Widely recognized independent state. |
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Persia / Iran Capital: Tehran
|
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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Iraq – Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq (from 3 October 1932) Capital: Baghdad |
Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from October 3, 1932. |
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Ireland Capital: Dublin
|
Widely recognized LON member state; Commonwealth realm. |
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Italy – Kingdom of Italy Capital: Rome |
Widely recognized LON member state under fascism; withdrew on December 11, 1937. Italy had sovereignty over two colonies (four colonies until January 1934 and three colonies until June 1936) and three concessions:
|
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J[edit] | |
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Japan – Empire of Japan Capital: Tokyo |
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on March 27, 1933. Japan had sovereignty over the following dependencies and concessions:
Japan administered one League of Nations mandate: |
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L[edit] | |
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Latvia – Republic of Latvia Capital: Riga |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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Liberia – Republic of Liberia Capital: Monrovia |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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→ Liechtenstein – Principality of Liechtenstein Capital: Vaduz |
Widely recognized independent state. |
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Lithuania – Republic of Lithuania Capital: Vilnius |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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Luxembourg – Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Capital: Luxembourg City |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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M[edit] | |
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→ Mexico – United Mexican States Capital: Mexico City |
Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from September 12, 1931; declared a member on September 12, 1931. Mexico had sovereignty over one territory:
|
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Monaco – Principality of Monaco Capital: Monaco |
Widely recognized independent state. |
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Muscat and Oman – Sultanate of Muscat and Oman Capital: Muscat |
De jure independent state. De facto a British protectorate. |
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N[edit] | |
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→ → → Nejd and Hejaz – (personal union to 23 September 1932), Saudi Arabia (from September 23, 1932) Capital: Riyadh
|
Widely recognized independent state. Nejd and Hejaz had sovereignty over one protectorate:
|
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→ Nepal – Kingdom of Nepal Capital: Kathmandu |
Widely recognized independent state. |
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Netherlands – Kingdom of the Netherlands Capital: Amsterdam |
Widely recognized LON member state. The Netherlands had sovereignty over three colonies: |
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→ Newfoundland – Dominion of Newfoundland (de facto to February 16, 1934) Capital: St. John's |
Widely recognized independent state; de facto Commonwealth realm to February 16, 1934. |
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New Zealand – Dominion of New Zealand Capital: Wellington |
Widely recognized LON member state; Commonwealth realm. New Zealand had sovereignty over four dependent territories:
New Zealand administered one League of Nations mandate: |
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Nicaragua – Republic of Nicaragua Capital: Managua |
Widely recognized LON member state under United States occupation to 1933; withdrew on June 27, 1936. |
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Norway – Kingdom of Norway Capital: Oslo |
Widely recognized LON member state. Norway had sovereignty over three uninhabited possessions:
|
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P[edit] | |
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Panama – Republic of Panama Capital: Panama City |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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Paraguay – Republic of Paraguay Capital: Asunción |
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on February 23, 1935. |
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Peru Capital: Lima
|
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on April 8, 1939. |
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Poland – Republic of Poland (to 6 October 1939) Capital: Warsaw |
Widely recognized LON member state. Under occupation by Nazi Germany from 6 October 1939. A government in exile was regarded as the legitimate government by the Allies. |
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Portugal Capital: Lisbon
|
Widely recognized LON member state. The following are colonies and possession of Portugal:
|
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R[edit] | |
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Romania – Kingdom of Romania Capital: Bucharest |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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S[edit] | |
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San Marino – Most Serene Republic of San Marino Capital: San Marino |
Widely recognized independent state. |
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Siam / Thailand Capital: Bangkok
|
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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South Africa – Union of South Africa Capital: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Pietermaritzburg (archival), Bloemfontein (judicial) |
Widely recognized LON member state; Commonwealth realm. South Africa administered one League of Nations mandate: |
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→ Soviet Union – Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Capital: Moscow |
Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from September 18, 1934; expelled on December 14, 1939. The Soviet Union was a federation of seven (later 11) republics.[e] |
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→ → Spain Capital: Madrid (1930–1936), Valencia (1936–1937), Barcelona (1937–1939)
|
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on May 9, 1939. Spain had sovereignty over the following colonies and protectorate:
|
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Sweden – Kingdom of Sweden Capital: Stockholm |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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Switzerland Capital: Bern
|
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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T[edit] | |
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Tibet Capital: Lhasa |
De facto independent state. Claimed by the Republic of China. |
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→ Turkey – Republic of Turkey Capital: Ankara |
Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from July 18, 1932. |
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U[edit] | |
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United Kingdom – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Capital: London |
Widely recognized LON member state. The United Kingdom had sovereignty over 62 colonies:
United Kingdom administered the following League of Nations mandates:
|
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United States – United States of America Capital: Washington, D.C. |
Widely recognized independent state. The United States had sovereignty over 21 territories:
|
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Uruguay – Eastern Republic of Uruguay Capital: Montevideo |
Widely recognized LON member state. |
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V[edit] | |
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Vatican City – Vatican City State Capital: Vatican City |
Widely recognized independent state. |
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→ Venezuela – United States of Venezuela Capital: Caracas |
Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on July 12, 1938. |
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Y[edit] | |
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Yemen – Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen Capital: Sana'a |
Widely recognized independent state. |
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Yugoslavia – Kingdom of Yugoslavia Capital: Belgrade |
Widely recognized independent state. |
Other entities[edit]Excluded from the list above are the following noteworthy entities which either were not fully sovereign or did not claim to be independent: | |
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Ararat – Republic of Ararat (to September 17, 1930) Capital: Kurdava |
Unrecognized state. |
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Asch – Free City of Asch (from September 22, 1938 to October 1938) Capital: Asch |
Unrecognized state. |
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Asturias and León – Sovereign Council of Asturias and León[1] (from September 6, 1936 to October 21, 1937) Capital: Gijón |
Unrecognized state. |
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Brazil, Socialist Republic of – Socialist Republic of Brazil (November 23 to 27, 1935) Capital: Rio de Janeiro |
Unrecognized state. Claimed by Brazil after four days. |
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Carpatho-Ukraine (from 30 December 1938 to 15 March 1939) Capital: Khust |
Unrecognized state. Occupied by Hungary on March 15, 1939. |
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Catalonia (from 14 to 17 April 1931 and from 6 to 7 October 1934) Capital: Barcelona
|
Self-declared state in 1931; became an autonomous government within the Spanish Republic, named Generalitat of Catalonia, from April 17, 1931. Self-declared revolutionary state in 1934 during the Events of 6 October. |
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China, Provisional Government of – Provisional Government of the Republic of China (from December 14, 1937) Capital: Beiping |
Unrecognized state. Puppet state of Japan. |
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China, Reformed Government of – Reformed Government of the Republic of China (from March 28, 1938) Capital: Nanjing |
Unrecognized state. Puppet state of Japan. |
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China, Soviet Republic of – Chinese Soviet Republic (from November 7, 1931 to September 22, 1937) Capital: Ruijin (1931–1936), Bao'an (1936–1937), Yan'an (1937) |
Unrecognized state. |
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Democratic Finland – Finnish Democratic Republic (from December 1, 1939) Capital: Helsinki (official), Terijoki (de facto) |
Partially recognized socialist republic. Puppet state of the Soviet Union. |
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East Hebei – East Hebei Autonomous Council (from November 25, 1935 to February 1, 1938) Capital: Tungchow |
Unrecognized state. Puppet state of Japan. |
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East Turkestan – Turkish Islamic Republic of East Turkestan (from November 12, 1933 to February 6, 1934) Capital: Kashgar |
De facto unrecognized independent state. De jure regional province of China. |
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Fujian People's Government (from November 22, 1933 to January 13, 1934) Capital: Fuzhou, Zhangzhou |
Unrecognized state. Annexed by China on January 13, 1934. |
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Hatay – Hatay State (from 7 September 1938 to 7 July 1939) Capital: Antakya |
Transitional political state. Annexed by Turkey from 7 July 1939. |
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Jiangxi – Chinese Soviet Republic (from November 7, 1931 to September 22, 1937) Capital: Ruijin (1931–1936), Bao'an (1936–1937), Yan'an (1937) |
Unrecognized state. |
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Korea, Provisional Government of – Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea Capital-in-exile: Shanghai (to 1932), Hangzhou (1932–1935), Jiaxing (1935), Nanjing (1935–1937), Changsha (1937–1938), Canton (1938–1939), Qijiang (from 1939) |
Partially recognized Korean government-in-exile. |
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Manchukuo (from February 18, 1932) Capital: Xinjing
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Puppet state of Japan. |
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Mengjiang – Mengjiang United Autonomous Government (from September 1, 1939) Capital: Kalgan |
Puppet state of Japan. |
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Mongolia – Mongolian People's Republic Capital: Ulaanbataar |
Satellite state of the Soviet Union. |
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Mongol Union (from May 12, 1936 to September 1, 1939) Capital: Hohhot
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Puppet state of Japan. Became part of Mengjiang from September 1, 1939. |
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North Shanxi – North Shanxi Autonomous Government (from October 15, 1937 to September 1, 1939) Capital: Datong |
Puppet state of Japan. Became part of Mengjiang from September 1, 1939. |
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Northwest Soviet Federation – Northwestern Federation of the Chinese Soviet Republic (from May 30, 1935 to July 1, 1936) Capital: Mao County (to 1935), Barkam (to 1935), Jinchuan County (to 1935), Garzê County (from 1935 to 1936) |
Unrecognized state. A confederation of two ethnic minority governments including the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Geledesha and the Tibetan People's Republic. |
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Shanghai – Great Way Municipal Government of Shanghai (from December 5, 1937 to May 3, 1938) Capital: Pudong |
Puppet government of Japan. |
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Slovakia – Slovak Republic (from March 14, 1939) Capital: Bratislava |
Client state of Nazi Germany recognized by several neutral states. |
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South Chahar – South Chahar Autonomous Government (from September 4, 1937 to September 1, 1939) Capital: Kalgan |
Puppet state of Japan. Became part of Mengjiang from September 1, 1939. |
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→ Tuva – Tuvan People's Republic Capital: Khem-Beldyr (renamed Kyzyl in 1926) |
Partially recognized socialist republic. Satellite state of the Soviet Union. |
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Western Oromia – Western Galla Confederation[2] (to 1936) Capital: Gore |
Unrecognized state.Rump Oromo state in western Ethiopia. |
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