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Historical map · 1600

Map of Asia in 1600

In 1600, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 71 states, empires and other polities in Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were Tsardom of Russia, the Golden Horde and the Ming Dynasty. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond Asia: its whole territory measured about 13.6 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Asia in 1600. 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 1600

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Tsardom of Russia Wikipedia4.8 million km²4.8 million km²1547–1720
Golden Horde Wikipedia3.9 million km²3.9 million km²1294–1695
Ming Dynasty Wikipedia3.9 million km²3.9 million km²1375–1644
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia3.3 million km²4.3 million km²1305–1923
Mughal Empire Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1529–1858
Kazakh Khanate Wikipedia2.6 million km²2.6 million km²1468–1847
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1502–1737
Tibet Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1363–1952
Eastern Moghulistan Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1463–1686
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia632,000 km²632,000 km²1507–1821
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia526,000 km²526,000 km²1272–1935
Mongol Khanate Wikipedia498,000 km²498,000 km²1468–1635
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Wikipedia478,000 km²841,000 km²1572–1793
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia452,000 km²452,000 km²1352–1768
Tümed Wikipedia414,000 km²414,000 km²1547–1699
First Toungoo Empire Wikipedia401,000 km²401,000 km²1502–1756
Lan Xang Wikipedia377,000 km²377,000 km²1363–1708
Khanate of Bukhara Wikipedia337,000 km²337,000 km²1516–1787
Khoshut Khanate Wikipedia291,000 km²291,000 km²1582–1695
Kingdom of Cambodia Wikipedia275,000 km²275,000 km²1540–2024
Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire Wikipedia273,000 km²7.3 million km²755–1870
Spanish Empire Wikipedia273,000 km²13.6 million km²1516–1931
Bijapur Sultanate Wikipedia248,000 km²248,000 km²1492–1686
Joseon235,000 km²235,000 km²1395–1897
Kingdom of Sweden Wikipedia230,000 km²712,000 km²980–2024
Sultanate of Johor Wikipedia209,000 km²209,000 km²1529–1884
Warring States Japan Wikipedia165,000 km²165,000 km²1468–1601
Tokugawa Shogunate Wikipedia164,000 km²164,000 km²1600–1869
Gorkha Kingdom Wikipedia148,000 km²148,000 km²1588–1787
Principality of Moldavia Wikipedia137,000 km²256,000 km²1363–1858
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia125,000 km²125,000 km²1512–1919
Sultanate of Brunei Wikipedia121,000 km²121,000 km²1363–2024
Golconda Sultanate Wikipedia114,000 km²114,000 km²1519–1686
Small Horde Wikipedia108,000 km²108,000 km²1450–1737
Sultanate of Maguindanao Wikipedia107,000 km²107,000 km²1521–1852
Trịnh lords Wikipedia103,000 km²103,000 km²1572–1787
Nguyễn lords Wikipedia90,000 km²90,000 km²1572–1775
Sultanate of Banten Wikipedia85,000 km²85,000 km²1529–1808
Kingdom of Mrauk U Wikipedia77,000 km²77,000 km²1429–1787
Sultanate of Palembang Wikipedia76,000 km²76,000 km²1459–1821

Also on the map: Sultanate of Malacca, Don Cossacks, Sultanate of Aceh, Crimean Khanate, Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Portuguese Empire, Portuguese Ceylon, Lan Na, Nayaks of Madurai, Mataram Sultanate, Sultanate of Banjar, Bidar Sultanate, Denmark, Sultanate of Cirebon, Blambangan Kingdom, Sultanate of Perak, Kingdom of Mysore, Nayaks of Thanjavur, Sultanate of Kedah, Patani Kingdom, Đại Việt, Chámpa, Balinese Kingdom, Iberian Union, Sultanate of Sulu, Republic of Venice, Sultanate of Gowa, Sultanate of Bone, Republic of Genoa, Dutch Republic, 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 1550

New on the map: 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 from the map: 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.

What comes next: 1648

Appear by 1648: Qing Dynasty, Southern Ming, Oirat Confederation, Swedish Empire, Qasimids, Kalmyk Khanate, Sultanate of Darfur, Astrakhan Khanate, Yarubid dynasty, Bhutan, Principality of Wallachia, Principality of Transylvania, Kingdom of Kartli, Principality of Mingrelia, Sultanate of Sukadana, Kingdom of Imereti, Sultanate of Bima, Kutai Kingdom, Sultanate of Sambas, Principality of Abkhazia, Principality of Guria, Kingdom of Portugal, Sultanate of Mempawah, Kingdom of England, English Colonial Empire.

Gone by 1648: Ming Dynasty, Mongol Khanate, Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Kingdom of Sweden, Warring States Japan, Don Cossacks, Lan Na, Bidar Sultanate, Iberian Union, Republic of Genoa.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Asia in 1600?

The map data draws 71 states and other polities in Asia in 1600. The largest by land were Tsardom of Russia, the Golden Horde, the Ming Dynasty, the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire.

What was the largest empire in Asia in 1600?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 13.6 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Asia in 1600 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1600, 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 1600