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Countries that Bordered British India with an Empty Map

Can you name all of the countries that bordered British India in 1937?
*Including overseas colonies from other nations
Quiz by Jiaozira
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Last updated: October 22, 2020
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First submittedNovember 23, 2018
Times taken45,138
Average score70.0%
Rating4.56
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Country
Afghanistan
Bhutan
China
French Indochina*
Goa*
Iran
Nepal
Pondicherry*
Siam
Tibet
+12
Level 77
Nov 23, 2018
Great!
+4
Level 70
Nov 23, 2018
Thanks Kolji!
+4
Level 43
Nov 24, 2018
wow I dont know countries of that time only 4 correct haha
+3
Level 76
Nov 24, 2018
great!
+1
Level 70
Nov 24, 2018
:)
+16
Level 68
Jan 13, 2019
Damn Goa!
+19
Level 92
Jan 14, 2019
You aren't kidding, I spent a long time looking for a gap on the border I'd missed...
+15
Level 60
Jun 9, 2020
I just wrote France and Portugal.
+1
Level 31
Apr 20, 2022
Goa is a sub-country unit?
+3
Level 42
Jan 14, 2019
Really loved it
+3
Level 76
Jan 14, 2019
+3
Level 70
Jan 14, 2019
Sikkim was close! It actually gained proper independence mid 1947 when India succeeded, but this map is from just before the partition.
+4
Level 21
Aug 28, 2019
While that's certainly a valid view, the same is true of Bhutan. I think it's difficult to justify the view that Bhutan was an independent country when Sikkim was not. Either both should be included, or neither.
+4
Level 71
Jun 5, 2021
I'm researching the British Raj right now for a quiz of my own. Sikkim was a protectorate of the Raj whereas Bhutan was a protected state. The difference is essentially that protectorates had some British involvement in domestic affairs--even though local rulers retained autonomy, their governments were still overseen/monitored by the British, and ultimately British authority would supersede local authorities if needed. In contrast, protected states are what they sound like--they allowed the UK to control their foreign policy and grant military protection, but otherwise had complete autonomy over domestic affairs. So, overall, how Jiaozira characterizes Sikkim and Bhutan makes sense.
+3
Level 71
Jun 19, 2021
Also, if anyone enjoys this and wants to see something really cool, I've made a quiz that shows all the details of British India's princely states and provinces! You may be surprised how complex it is :) Click here to see!
+2
Level 39
Jan 14, 2019
1:44 remained :D
+3
Level 70
Jan 15, 2019
Nice that it accepts the colony controller.
+2
Level 74
Jan 20, 2019
Great quiz, thank you!
+2
Level 21
Jan 30, 2019
Nice Quiz !
+1
Level 70
Feb 2, 2019
Thanks! :)
+1
Level 48
Feb 2, 2019
Got Goa, forgot Afghanistan
+2
Level 70
Feb 8, 2019
Thanks so much for accepting France and Portugal.
+6
Level 48
Feb 8, 2019
Typing France and Portugal gives the least guessed ones. I'm surprised not many people have done that.
+1
Level 33
Feb 8, 2019
Great Job! A very unique quiz! I almost forgot Goa...
+1
Level 58
Feb 8, 2019
What's about Diu and Damão, Dadra and Nagar Haveli? Goa is not the country - it's Portugal or Portugese India, to be more precise.
+2
Level 70
Feb 8, 2019
Try typing Portugal! ;)
+2
Level 22
Feb 8, 2019
Burma was seperated from British Raj in 1936.

Ceylon(Sri Lanka) was never a part of British Raj.

Sikkim's sovereignity is disputed, event though it was a princely state with British suzerainity.

+2
Level 70
Feb 8, 2019
My source includes them, regardless of how intergrated they were with what is now India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Yes, Sikkim was a princely state, but most princely states in the subcontinent during this era had limited autonomy, such as Manipur and Hyderabad. Bhutan was a princely state, but it had more recognition and legitimacy than others.
+1
Level 88
Feb 8, 2019
Ugh, got all but one. Typed Puducherry at the very end but didn't have time to enter the old name when it wasn't accepted. Fun quiz though!
+1
Level 88
Aug 4, 2019
This time I typed France but forgot about Goa/Portugal. Harrumph. Still a great quiz.
+1
Level 21
Feb 8, 2019
1:40 left
+4
Level 32
Feb 8, 2019
Playing to much HOI4 made this easy... ;)
+1
Level 50
Feb 9, 2019
Got Goa with 8 seconds left!
+2
Level 79
Feb 10, 2019
Was Ceylon part of British India?
+2
Level 79
May 22, 2019
I don't think Burma was part of British India in 1947. And Siam was renamed Thailand in 1939. And Ceylon was never part of British India.
+1
Level 79
Jun 7, 2019
Am I right?
+2
Level 70
Jun 7, 2019
It was renamed to Siam from 1945 to 1949. As for Burma and Ceylon, my source included them.
+1
Level 79
Mar 27, 2020
Then I'm afraid your source is wrong. Ceylon was never a part of the British Raj, and Burma left the Indian Empire to become a separate colony in 1937. You're right about Siam though.
+2
Level 70
Apr 3, 2020
Burma did leave the British Raj in 1937. This quiz is not specifically about the British Raj but I've changed the date on the description to match to eliminate any grey area, considering the borders didn't change over the 10 years. I'm keeping Ceylon in however, as it was British territory in the greater area known as India.
+1
Level 44
Feb 10, 2019
Excellent quiz! This was a very creative quiz, and the accompanying map was excellent :)
+1
Level 51
Jun 12, 2019
Almost forgot Portuguese Goa and French Pondicherry
+1
Level 27
Jul 23, 2019
I think you should replace goa and puducherry with portugal. Also french indochina with france
+3
Level 70
Jul 24, 2019
I kept the name of the colony to be specific, but you can type either the country name or the colony name if you want.
+2
Level 79
Mar 27, 2020
Pondicherry was French, not Portuguese.
+2
Level 79
Apr 3, 2020
And Goa was never part of Portugal, and Pondicherry and French Indochina was never part of France.
+1
Level 51
Aug 26, 2019
Got all 10 out of 10!
+2
Level 21
Aug 28, 2019
Aden (the port) is not shown on the map. It was administered by India until 1936, the same time as Burma ceased to be administered as part of India. It was bordered by the Aden Protectorate, now part of Yemen.
+3
Level 79
Apr 3, 2020
The description clearly says as of 1947. But then Burma should not be shown as part of British India as it became a separate colony in 1937, and Ceylon is erroneously shown as part of British India when it never was.
+2
Level 75
Feb 4, 2021
Yes. Although Burma (Myanmar) became independent in 1948, it separated from British India on April 1, 1937.
+1
Level 40
Oct 27, 2019
got all but pondicherry
+1
Level 84
Mar 25, 2020
OOOOHHHH!! it took me about half the quiz to realize that it filled in the white bits. Not the yellow
+3
Level 55
May 7, 2020
I accidentaly got Goa, when thinking Pakistan was piece of Portugal! xD
+2
Level 60
Jul 17, 2020
Bruh...
+1
Level 50
Aug 31, 2020
Can you add circles on the map for the smaller overseas territories? I had a hard time finding them
+1
Level 70
Aug 31, 2020
Apologies, but I do not have a good way of adding circles and preserving the empty map format.
+2
Level 66
Oct 16, 2020
A weirdly specific quiz. I love it!
+3
Level 82
Oct 22, 2020
Probably a somewhat minor quibble, since I don't believe it impacts the answers, but Sri Lanka was not part of or in any way involved with British India, as depicted on the map. It was ruled as the Crown Colony of Ceylon with a Governor reporting directly to the Colonial Office in London.
+1
Level 70
Oct 22, 2020
That is fair, I have removed Sri Lanka from the map.
+1
Level 62
Dec 1, 2020
China did not control aksai cinh during the British Raj.
+1
Level 70
Dec 1, 2020
Neither did British India. The border remained disputed, with the British claiming the Macartney-MacDonald Line during a time in which China was too weak to have a say. However, the Macartney MacDonald Line splits Aksai Chin down the middle. However, no one actually controlled the region until more recent years, although China built a road through the region in the 1950's. Prior to (sovereign) India's and China's competing over Himalayan disputes in the 1950's, the border was described as 'undemarcated', and therefore I see no issue with how I've drawn the map.
+1
Level 62
Dec 1, 2020
Disagree. Maharaja Gulab Singh gained control of the area and signed a treaty with Tibet demarcating the borders. After his loss to the British, they gained control over the area. And when India gained independence , the Johnson line was seen as the official border, which depicted Aksai Cinh as Indian territory.
+1
Level 70
Dec 1, 2020
Raja Gulab Singh's conquests into Tibet didn't go well, and according to Wikipedia the border treaty established was vague in its precise meaning. The area remained a grey area of dispute into the rule of the British Raj. I doubt that small disputed territories were of much importance until much more recently, when India and China emerged as powerful states with actual control over Himalayan territories. Prior to this, there was little reason to contend lines drawn on a map, over unpopulated, remote and resource-lacking parcels of land. I suppose I could also give Aksai Chin to the British Raj under that logic, considering it was terra incognita, however I see no reason in going and putting the work in to update my map, when doing so would make the quiz no more accurate than it is currently.
+1
Level 57
Feb 3, 2021
I find it funny how the shape on the map became four totally different (five including Sri Lanka) countries.
+2
Level 58
Sep 15, 2022
Remembered Portugal for some reason. Great quiz and map!
+1
Level 70
Sep 15, 2022
Thanks!
+1
Level 40
Jan 3, 2023
Can you accept Laos for French Indochina