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Historical map · 1500

Map of China and East Asia in 1500

In 1500, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 23 states, empires and other polities in China and East Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty, the Mongol Khanate and the Ming Dynasty.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East Asia in 1500. 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 China and East Asia in 1500

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty4.6 million km²4.8 million km²1395–1897
Mongol Khanate Wikipedia4.3 million km²4.5 million km²1468–1635
Ming Dynasty Wikipedia4.3 million km²4.3 million km²1375–1644
Tibet Wikipedia966,000 km²1.5 million km²1363–1952
Lan Xang Wikipedia377,000 km²377,000 km²1363–1708
Warring States Japan Wikipedia321,000 km²321,000 km²1468–1601
Shan States Wikipedia275,000 km²275,000 km²1294–1563
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia237,000 km²395,000 km²1352–1768
Moghulistan Wikipedia204,000 km²1.4 million km²1463–1686
Ava Kingdom Wikipedia174,000 km²174,000 km²1375–1528
Lê Dynasty Wikipedia170,000 km²191,000 km²1429–1571
Sultanate of Bengal Wikipedia131,000 km²333,000 km²1344–1533
Kingdom of Mrauk U Wikipedia85,000 km²85,000 km²1429–1787
Hanthawaddy Kingdom Wikipedia78,000 km²78,000 km²1294–1546
Lan Na Kingdom Wikipedia53,000 km²53,000 km²1294–1761
Prome Kingdom Wikipedia19,000 km²19,000 km²1482–1546
Khmer Empire Wikipedia18,000 km²288,000 km²800–1539
Tondo Wikipedia4,860 km²4,860 km²1375–1571
Ryukyu Kingdom Wikipedia2,620 km²2,620 km²1429–1520
Namayan Wikipedia1,040 km²1,040 km²1202–1571
Ashikaga Shogunate Wikipedia980 km²980 km²1344–1571
Khanate of Sibir Wikipedia950 km²2.8 million km²1429–1587
Sultanate of Brunei Wikipedia340 km²50,000 km²1363–2024

"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 1492

New on the map: Sultanate of Brunei.

What comes next: 1550

Appear by 1550: Golden Horde, Tümed, First Toungoo Empire, Sur Empire, Đại Việt, Kingdom of Cambodia, Maynila.

Gone by 1550: Ava Kingdom, Sultanate of Bengal, Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Prome Kingdom, Khmer Empire, Ryukyu Kingdom.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in China and East Asia in 1500?

The map data draws 23 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1500. The largest by land were the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty, the Mongol Khanate, the Ming Dynasty, Tibet and Lan Xang.

What was the largest empire in China and East Asia in 1500?

Of the states on this map, the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty held the most land in total: about 4.8 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore China and East Asia in 1500 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1500, 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.

China in other years

Other regions in 1500