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Historical map · 1550

Map of Asia in 1550

In 1550, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 88 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 1550. 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.

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States and empires in Asia in 1550

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty4.0 million km²4.2 million km²1395–1897
Ming Dynasty Wikipedia3.7 million km²3.7 million km²1375–1644
Khanate of Sibir Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1429–1587
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.7 million km²3.3 million km²1305–1923
Golden Horde Wikipedia2.5 million km²2.5 million km²1294–1695
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1502–1737
Tsardom of Russia Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1547–1720
Kazakh Khanate Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²1468–1847
Tümed Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1547–1699
Tibet Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1363–1952
Sur Empire Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1540–1594
Eastern Moghulistan Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1463–1686
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia632,000 km²632,000 km²1507–1821
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia529,000 km²529,000 km²1272–1935
Mongol Khanate Wikipedia498,000 km²498,000 km²1468–1635
Nogai Horde Wikipedia438,000 km²438,000 km²1450–1737
Khanate of Bukhara Wikipedia430,000 km²430,000 km²1516–1787
House of Jagiellon Wikipedia420,000 km²748,000 km²1395–1571
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia406,000 km²406,000 km²1352–1768
Lan Xang Wikipedia377,000 km²377,000 km²1363–1708
Shan States Wikipedia358,000 km²358,000 km²1294–1563
Vijayanagara Empire Wikipedia340,000 km²340,000 km²1344–1571
Warring States Japan Wikipedia321,000 km²321,000 km²1468–1601
Mughal Empire Wikipedia317,000 km²317,000 km²1529–1858
Kingdom of Cambodia Wikipedia275,000 km²275,000 km²1540–2024
First Toungoo Empire Wikipedia238,000 km²238,000 km²1502–1756
Sultanate of Brunei Wikipedia232,000 km²232,000 km²1363–2024
Sultanate of Johor Wikipedia209,000 km²209,000 km²1529–1884
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia197,000 km²669,000 km²980–2024
Khanate of Kazan Wikipedia172,000 km²172,000 km²1440–1551
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia168,000 km²602,000 km²1502–1910
Astrakhan Khanate Wikipedia162,000 km²162,000 km²1468–1768
Bijapur Sultanate Wikipedia154,000 km²154,000 km²1492–1686
Kashmiri Sultanate Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1344–1587
Crimean Khanate Wikipedia137,000 km²137,000 km²1450–1782
Lê Dynasty Wikipedia136,000 km²136,000 km²1429–1571
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia125,000 km²125,000 km²1512–1919
Sultanate of Maguindanao Wikipedia107,000 km²107,000 km²1521–1852
Golconda Sultanate Wikipedia104,000 km²104,000 km²1519–1686
Sultanate of Harar Wikipedia88,000 km²88,000 km²1415–1578

Also on the map: Principality of Moldavia, Berar Sultanate, Kingdom of Portugal, Sultanate of Palembang, Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Đại Việt, Livonian Conference, Lan Na Kingdom, Kingdom of Mrauk U, Portuguese Ceylon, Nayaks of Madurai, Demak Sultanate, Sultanate of Aceh, Sunda Kingdom, Principality of Wallachia, Sultanate of Banjar, Bidar Sultanate, Blambangan Kingdom, Kingdom of Georgia, Denmark, Qasim Khanate, Sultanate of Perak, Kingdom of Kakheti, Sultanate of Malacca, Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, Republic of Venice, Nayaks of Thanjavur, Principality of Mingrelia, Sultanate of Kedah, Jaffna kingdom, Kingdom of Imereti, Sultanate of Banten, Sultanate of Cirebon, Chámpa, Balinese Kingdom, Rajahnate of Cebu, Principality of Abkhazia, Tondo, Principality of Guria, Portuguese Africa, Sultanate of Sulu, Maynila, Sultanate of Gowa, Sultanate of Bone, Republic of Genoa, Namayan, Ashikaga Shogunate, Kathmandu.

"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 1500

New on the map: Safavid Dynasty, Tsardom of Russia, Tümed, Sur Empire, Funj Sultanate, Khanate of Bukhara, Mughal Empire, Kingdom of Cambodia, First Toungoo Empire, Sultanate of Johor, Kingdom of Sweden, Portuguese Empire, Khanate of Khiva, Sultanate of Maguindanao, Golconda Sultanate, Kingdom of Portugal, Đại Việt, Portuguese Ceylon, Nayaks of Madurai, Sultanate of Aceh, Sultanate of Banjar, Blambangan Kingdom, Denmark, Sultanate of Perak, Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, Nayaks of Thanjavur, Sultanate of Banten, Balinese Kingdom, Portuguese Africa, Maynila and others.

Gone from the map: Grand Principality of Moscow, Timurid Empire, Aq Qoyunlu, Mamluk Sultanate, Lodi Dynasty, Delhi Sultanate, Shaybanids, Tahirid Sultanate, Sultanate of Bengal, Khmer Empire, Kalmar Union, Makuria Kingdom, Ava Kingdom, Alodia, Sind-Samma Dynasty, Kapisa, Majapahit, Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Bahrani Dynasty, Ceylon, Shirvan, Samtskhe-Saatabago, Beylik of Dulkadir, Ramadanid Emirate, Pskov Republic, Prome Kingdom, Ryazan, Personal union of Kingdom of Bohemia with Kingdom of Hungary, Kingdom of Hungary, Samudera Pasai Sultanate and others.

What comes next: 1600

Appear by 1600: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Khoshut Khanate, Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Spanish Empire, Tokugawa Shogunate, Gorkha Kingdom, Trịnh lords, Nguyễn lords, Don Cossacks, Mataram Sultanate, Kingdom of Mysore, Patani Kingdom, Iberian Union, Dutch Republic.

Gone by 1600: Khanate of Sibir, Sur Empire, House of Jagiellon, Shan States, Vijayanagara Empire, Khanate of Kazan, Astrakhan Khanate, Kashmiri Sultanate, Lê Dynasty, Sultanate of Harar, Berar Sultanate, Kingdom of Portugal, Livonian Conference, Demak Sultanate, Sunda Kingdom, Principality of Wallachia, Kingdom of Georgia, Qasim Khanate, Kingdom of Kakheti, Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, Principality of Mingrelia, Jaffna kingdom, Kingdom of Imereti, Rajahnate of Cebu, Principality of Abkhazia, Tondo, Principality of Guria, Portuguese Africa, Maynila, Namayan and others.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Asia in 1550?

The map data draws 88 states and other polities in Asia in 1550. The largest by land were the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, the Khanate of Sibir, the Ottoman Empire and the Golden Horde.

What was the largest empire in Asia in 1550?

Of the states on this map, the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty held the most land in total: about 4.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Asia in 1550 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1550, 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 1550