Brilliant Maps

Making Sense Of The World, One Map At A Time

  • BOOK!
  • Newsletter
  • Board Games
  • Posters
  • Scratch Maps

‘A Study in Empires’, World War 2 German Propaganda Map Comparing Germany’s Territorial Expansion To That Of The British Empire

Last Updated: June 6, 2025 Leave a Comment

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:

'A Study in Empires', World War 2 German Propaganda Map Comparing Germany's Territorial Expansion To That Of The British Empire

Map found via reddit
From the original reddit thread:

This map is from the 5 February 1940 edition of Facts in Review, a Nazi magazine published in the United States by the German Library of Information.

Underneath it was the following caption:

Germany’s eighty-seven million inhabitants are subsisting on 264,300 square miles including former Austria, Bohemia-Moravia, Danzig, and the re-incorporated Province of Poland, (excluding the Gouvernement General).

Great Britain, a nation of approximately forty-six million people, has in the course of her history acquired an Empire as shown above. It covers an area of 13,320,854 square miles including the former German colonies.

Source: Monmonier, M. 2018. How to Lie with Maps. 3rd edn.

The first thing to note about the above is that the German claim is that it only looks at the White population of the British Empire.

By 1925 the British Empire had around 450 million people living in it, over 85% of which were non-White.

As for including former German colonies, that was one of the conditions for the Treaty of Versailles, which Germany signed after losing World War 1.

To me the rather obvious message coming from the study in Empires above is that the Germans wanted to emulate the British rather than criticise them.

For more see: What If Nazi Germany Won World War II? Fictional & Historical Scenarios

What do you think about the map?

Filed Under: History

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:



Other Popular Maps

  • Map Of The Caprivi Strip In Namibia

    Map Of The Caprivi Strip In Namibia

  • The US Isn’t Even In The Top 10 Most Overworked Countries

    The US Isn’t Even In The Top 10 Most Overworked Countries

  • How Many Letters Does Each European Language’s Alphabet Have?

    How Many Letters Does Each European Language’s Alphabet Have?

  • Avoid This Bit Of The Pacific If You Have A Fear Of Sharks aka The White Shark Café

    Avoid This Bit Of The Pacific If You Have A Fear Of Sharks aka The White Shark Café

  • Maps and the 20th Century: Drawing the Line Review

    Maps and the 20th Century: Drawing the Line Review

  • Political Map of 48 Hypothetical US states Centered Around The 48 Largest Urban Areas

    Political Map of 48 Hypothetical US states Centered Around The 48 Largest Urban Areas

  • How The Population of North America Fits Into Europe

    How The Population of North America Fits Into Europe

  • Which of the 7 Modern Wonders of the World Are You Closest To?

    Which of the 7 Modern Wonders of the World Are You Closest To?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Product Reviews · World Atlas · Settlers of Catan · Risk · Game of Thrones · Coloring Books
Globes · Monopoly · Star Wars · Game of Life · Pandemic · Ticket To Ride · Drinks Cabinets
US Locations · UK Locations· Fleet Management
Copyright © 2026 · Privacy Policy · Fair Use, Attribution & Copyright · Contact Us
Follow Us: Newsletter · Facebook · Youtube · Twitter · Threads · BlueSky · LinkedIn · Instagram · Pinterest · Flipboard