Southern Asia 1919: Amritsar Massacre

Changes to the map 18 November 1918–13 April 1919

In Anatolia, the French have landed in Cilicia and occupied that region while the British have pushed north from Syria to occupy Kilis and Gaziantep. Further north, on the Black Sea, the French have also occupied the coal-producing regions of Karadeniz Eregli and Zonguldak.

In neighboring Transcaucasia, the withdrawing Ottoman army has helped set up the South-Western Caucasian Republic in Kars. Meanwhile the British have occupied Georgia, Batum, Karabakh, and Aras (modern Nakhichevan). Mughan now recognizes the authority of Kolchak's All-Russian Government.

Kolchak's fight with Soviet Russia continues to the north, but Britain has pulled out of the Transcaspian region.

In Arabia, the Ottomans have completed their withdrawal. The major beneficiary of the ensuing power vacuum is Saudi Nejd, which is now beginning a new round of expansion, threatening Hejaz, Ha'il, and Upper Asir.

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.