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Historical map · 1550

Map of China and East Asia in 1550

In 1550, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 24 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 Ming Dynasty and the Golden Horde.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East 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 China and East 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
Golden Horde Wikipedia2.5 million km²2.5 million km²1294–1695
Tümed Wikipedia1.8 million km²2.1 million km²1547–1699
Tibet Wikipedia966,000 km²1.5 million km²1363–1952
Mongol Khanate Wikipedia498,000 km²498,000 km²1468–1635
Lan Xang Wikipedia376,000 km²377,000 km²1363–1708
Shan States Wikipedia358,000 km²358,000 km²1294–1563
Warring States Japan Wikipedia321,000 km²321,000 km²1468–1601
First Toungoo Empire Wikipedia238,000 km²238,000 km²1502–1756
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia237,000 km²406,000 km²1352–1768
Eastern Moghulistan Wikipedia178,000 km²1.1 million km²1463–1686
Sur Empire Wikipedia131,000 km²1.3 million km²1540–1594
Lê Dynasty Wikipedia102,000 km²136,000 km²1429–1571
Đại Việt Wikipedia68,000 km²68,000 km²1529–1833
Lan Na Kingdom Wikipedia53,000 km²53,000 km²1294–1761
Kingdom of Mrauk U Wikipedia52,000 km²52,000 km²1429–1787
Kingdom of Cambodia Wikipedia18,000 km²275,000 km²1540–2024
Tondo Wikipedia4,860 km²4,860 km²1375–1571
Maynila Wikipedia3,370 km²3,370 km²1521–1599
Namayan Wikipedia1,040 km²1,040 km²1202–1571
Khanate of Sibir Wikipedia950 km²2.8 million km²1429–1587
Ashikaga Shogunate Wikipedia880 km²880 km²1344–1571
Sultanate of Brunei Wikipedia340 km²232,000 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 1500

New on the map: Golden Horde, Tümed, First Toungoo Empire, Sur Empire, Đại Việt, Kingdom of Cambodia, Maynila.

Gone from the map: Ava Kingdom, Sultanate of Bengal, Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Prome Kingdom, Khmer Empire, Ryukyu Kingdom.

What comes next: 1600

Appear by 1600: Khoshut Khanate, Tokugawa Shogunate, Mughal Empire, Trịnh lords, Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Spanish Empire, Nguyễn lords, Gorkha Kingdom.

Gone by 1600: Shan States, Sur Empire, Lê Dynasty, Tondo, Maynila, Namayan, Khanate of Sibir, Ashikaga Shogunate, Sultanate of Brunei.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in China and East Asia in 1550?

The map data draws 24 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1550. The largest by land were the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, the Golden Horde, Tümed and Tibet.

What was the largest empire in China and East 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 China and East 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.

China in other years

Other regions in 1550