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Historical map · 1453

Map of Asia in 1453

In 1453, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 81 states, empires and other polities in Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty and the Khanate of Sibir.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Asia in 1453. Zoom in, move the year slider to watch the borders change, or ask the history guide a question and it draws the answer on the map.

OPEN 1453 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1453

States and empires in Asia in 1453

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty5.2 million km²5.4 million km²1395–1897
Ming Dynasty Wikipedia5.0 million km²5.0 million km²1375–1644
Khanate of Sibir Wikipedia4.4 million km²4.4 million km²1429–1587
Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire Wikipedia4.2 million km²4.7 million km²1375–1467
Four Oirats Wikipedia4.0 million km²4.0 million km²1402–1676
Timurid Empire Wikipedia3.7 million km²3.7 million km²1375–1506
Tibet Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1363–1952
Chagatai Khanate Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1294–1462
Novgorod Republic Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1056–1481
Mamluk Sultanate Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.5 million km²1241–1518
Majapahit Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1294–1518
House of Jagiellon Wikipedia720,000 km²1.0 million km²1395–1571
Golden Horde Wikipedia714,000 km²714,000 km²1294–1695
Nogai Horde Wikipedia702,000 km²702,000 km²1450–1737
Vassalage of Jaffna kingdom to Vijayanagara Empire Wikipedia581,000 km²593,000 km²1314–1594
Vijayanagara Empire Wikipedia570,000 km²570,000 km²1344–1571
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia405,000 km²568,000 km²1305–1923
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia394,000 km²394,000 km²1272–1935
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia385,000 km²385,000 km²1352–1768
Rasulid Dynasty Wikipedia379,000 km²379,000 km²1236–1458
Lan Xang Wikipedia377,000 km²377,000 km²1363–1708
Bahmani Sultanate Wikipedia376,000 km²376,000 km²1352–1491
Ashikaga Shogunate Wikipedia321,000 km²321,000 km²1344–1571
Grand Principality of Moscow Wikipedia316,000 km²316,000 km²1294–1546
Sultanate of Bengal Wikipedia307,000 km²307,000 km²1344–1533
Shan States Wikipedia275,000 km²275,000 km²1294–1563
Delhi Sultanate Wikipedia247,000 km²247,000 km²1210–1528
Lodi Dynasty Wikipedia247,000 km²247,000 km²1453–1528
Khmer Empire Wikipedia241,000 km²241,000 km²800–1539
Aq Qoyunlu Wikipedia233,000 km²233,000 km²1407–1511
Crimean Khanate Wikipedia222,000 km²222,000 km²1450–1782
Makuria Kingdom Wikipedia213,000 km²213,000 km²347–1518
Kalmar Union Wikipedia212,000 km²2.1 million km²1402–1525
Ava Kingdom Wikipedia193,000 km²193,000 km²1375–1528
Khanate of Kazan Wikipedia170,000 km²170,000 km²1440–1551
Jaunpur Sultanate Wikipedia160,000 km²160,000 km²1395–1481
Lê Dynasty Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1429–1571
Kashmiri Sultanate Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1344–1587
Adal Sultanate Wikipedia150,000 km²150,000 km²1415–1578
House of Oldenburg Wikipedia134,000 km²441,000 km²1450–1458

Also on the map: Kingdom of Georgia, Alodia, Sind-Samma Dynasty, Beylik of Karaman, Principality of Moldavia, Chámpa, Kingdom of Mrauk U, Mahdids, Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Bahrani Dynasty, Livonian Conference, Ceylon, Sunda Kingdom, Lan Na Kingdom, Beylik of Isfendiyar, Shirvan, Principality of Wallachia, Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal, Beylik of Dulkadir, Empire of Trebizond, Ramadanid Emirate, Qasim Khanate, Pskov Republic, Sultanate of Kedah, Ryazan, Holy Roman Empire, Allegiance of Swiss Confederation to Holy Roman Empire, Vassalage of Electorate of Brandenburg to Holy Roman Empire, House of Habsburg, Kingdom of Cyprus, Republic of Genoa, Samudera Pasai Sultanate, Tver, Tondo, Sultanate of Brunei, Republic of Venice, Byzantine Empire, Ryukyu Kingdom, Namayan, Kathmandu, Principality of Theodoro.

"In the data" gives the first and last year the dataset draws the state under this identity; states often existed earlier or later in another form.

What changed since 1444

New on the map: Nogai Horde, Lodi Dynasty, Crimean Khanate, House of Oldenburg, Qasim Khanate, Ryazan, Holy Roman Empire, Allegiance of Swiss Confederation to Holy Roman Empire, Vassalage of Electorate of Brandenburg to Holy Roman Empire, House of Habsburg.

Gone from the map: Personal union of Polish-Lithuania Kingdom with Kingdom of Hungary, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Sayyid Dynasty, Kingdom of Poland, Sukhothai Kingdom, Blue Horde, Kingdom of Hungary.

What comes next: 1492

Appear by 1492: Mongol Khanate, Kazakh Khanate, Moghulistan, Tahirid Sultanate, Warring States Japan, Astrakhan Khanate, Bijapur Sultanate, Kapisa, Berar Sultanate, Sultanate of Palembang, Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Bidar Sultanate, Samtskhe-Saatabago, Kingdom of Kakheti, Prome Kingdom, Personal union of Kingdom of Bohemia with Kingdom of Hungary, Kingdom of Hungary, Principality of Mingrelia, Kingdom of Imereti, Sultanate of Cirebon, Demak Sultanate, Sultanate of Malacca, Principality of Abkhazia, Principality of Guria, Sultanate of Sulu.

Gone by 1492: Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire, Four Oirats, Chagatai Khanate, Novgorod Republic, Rasulid Dynasty, Bahmani Sultanate, Jaunpur Sultanate, House of Oldenburg, Beylik of Karaman, Beylik of Isfendiyar, Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal, Empire of Trebizond, Holy Roman Empire, Allegiance of Swiss Confederation to Holy Roman Empire, Vassalage of Electorate of Brandenburg to Holy Roman Empire, House of Habsburg, Kingdom of Cyprus, Tver, Byzantine Empire, Principality of Theodoro.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Asia in 1453?

The map data draws 81 states and other polities in Asia in 1453. The largest by land were the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, the Khanate of Sibir, the Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire and Four Oirats.

What was the largest empire in Asia in 1453?

Of the states on this map, the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty held the most land in total: about 5.4 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Asia in 1453 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1453, zoom into any region, move through the years, and ask the history guide questions: it answers in plain words and draws places, armies and borders on the map.

About these borders

The borders come from Cliopatria (v0.2.1, Seshat Global History Databank, CC BY 4.0), the dataset behind our interactive map, with our audited name and border corrections. It records each state's territory year by year from 3400 BC to 2024. Borders before modern surveys are reconstructions: the data draws a state where it held control, and frontier zones, nomadic realms and loose overlordships are approximate. Areas are measured on an equal-area projection. Read how we make our maps.

Asia in other years

Other regions in 1453