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Historical map · 1648

Map of China and East Asia in 1648

In 1648, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 25 states, empires and other polities in China and East Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Qing Dynasty, the Golden Horde and Southern Ming. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond China and East Asia: its whole territory measured about 13.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East Asia in 1648. 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 1648 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1648

States and empires in China and East Asia in 1648

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia4.1 million km²4.1 million km²1645–1911
Golden Horde Wikipedia2.6 million km²2.6 million km²1294–1695
Southern Ming Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1645–1682
Tibet Wikipedia970,000 km²1.6 million km²1363–1952
First Toungoo Empire Wikipedia523,000 km²523,000 km²1502–1756
Tümed Wikipedia414,000 km²414,000 km²1547–1699
Lan Xang Wikipedia377,000 km²377,000 km²1363–1708
Tsardom of Russia Wikipedia339,000 km²10.0 million km²1547–1720
Tokugawa Shogunate Wikipedia329,000 km²329,000 km²1600–1869
Khoshut Khanate Wikipedia291,000 km²291,000 km²1582–1695
Joseon232,000 km²232,000 km²1395–1897
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia226,000 km²384,000 km²1352–1768
Eastern Moghulistan Wikipedia177,000 km²936,000 km²1463–1686
Mughal Empire Wikipedia144,000 km²2.8 million km²1529–1858
Spanish Empire Wikipedia105,000 km²13.0 million km²1516–1931
Trịnh lords Wikipedia103,000 km²103,000 km²1572–1787
Kingdom of Mrauk U Wikipedia77,000 km²77,000 km²1429–1787
Oirat Confederation Wikipedia69,000 km²837,000 km²1402–1676
Nguyễn lords Wikipedia56,000 km²90,000 km²1572–1775
Bhutan Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²1636–2024
Dutch Republic Wikipedia41,000 km²263,000 km²1582–1795
Kingdom of Cambodia Wikipedia18,000 km²275,000 km²1540–2024
Đại Việt Wikipedia10,000 km²10,000 km²1529–1833
Gorkha Kingdom Wikipedia2,150 km²148,000 km²1588–1787
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia600 km²2.1 million km²1502–1910

"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 1600

New on the map: Qing Dynasty, Southern Ming, Tsardom of Russia, Oirat Confederation, Bhutan, Dutch Republic, Portuguese Empire.

Gone from the map: Ming Dynasty, Mongol Khanate, Warring States Japan, Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Lan Na.

What comes next: 1700

Appear by 1700: Dzungar Khanate, Kingdom of England, English Colonial Empire.

Gone by 1700: Golden Horde, Southern Ming, Tümed, Khoshut Khanate, Eastern Moghulistan, Oirat Confederation, Dutch Republic, Đại Việt.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in China and East Asia in 1648?

The map data draws 25 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1648. The largest by land were the Qing Dynasty, the Golden Horde, Southern Ming, Tibet and the First Toungoo Empire.

What was the largest empire in China and East Asia in 1648?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 13.0 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 1648 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1648, 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 1648