Southern Asia 1925: Soviet Reorganization of Central Asia

Changes to the map 13 October 1924–12 May 1925

Soviet Union: The Bukharan SSR and the Khorazmian SSR have been abolished and replaced with the Turkmen SSR and the Uzbek SSR in the Soviet reorganization of Central Asia.

Persia: Reza Khan has crushed the Sheikh Khazal revolt, ending the independence of Khuzestan and the Bakhtiari.

Iraq: King Feisal has removed refugees to the north, limiting Saudi and Ikhwan influence in the south.

Yemen: Yemen has conquered Tihama from Asir.

Siam: The French influence in the east has been ended with the Franco-Siamese Treaty.

British Protectorates in the Persian Gulf

The British Residency of the Persian Gulf maintains British India influence in a number of Gulf states. These states are nominally independent - and shown as such in most atlases from the period - but have all signed treaties guaranteeing British control over their foreign affairs.

The Sultanate of Muscat and Oman is the only one of these states with significant international relations, having obtained trade agreements with the US and France before it signed its treaty with Britain. Maps of the time often show Trucial Oman and even Qatar as regions of Oman.

Trucial Oman is the region to the west of Oman which collectively signed treaties with Britain. The sheikhdoms of this region are often called the Trucial States, and will become the United Arab Emirates. However at this time they have little unity, with no regional council until 1952.

Indian Empire

The British Indian Empire, also known as the British Raj, is comprised of a complex of presidencies, provinces, protectorates, and agencies. Only the top level subdivisions are shown here.

The area under direct British rule is known as British India and made up of presidencies and provinces - a presidency simply being the name for an older province.

Outside British India, but often included within the sphere of the presidencies/provinces, are the hundreds of protectorates or 'princely states'. These are indirectly ruled states, the largest being Hyderabad, Kashmir, and Mysore. The others are either collected into agencies - which may in turn contain other smaller agencies - or fall under the sway of the provinces.