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Historical map · 1789

Map of China and East Asia in 1789

In 1789, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 19 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 Russian Empire and Tibet. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond China and East Asia: its whole territory measured about 23.1 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East Asia in 1789. 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 1789 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1789

States and empires in China and East Asia in 1789

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia9.8 million km²11.3 million km²1645–1911
Russian Empire Wikipedia1.4 million km²16.2 million km²1721–1916
Tibet Wikipedia667,000 km²1.2 million km²1363–1952
Konbaung Dynasty Wikipedia643,000 km²677,000 km²1741–1819
Tokugawa Shogunate Wikipedia329,000 km²329,000 km²1600–1869
Joseon232,000 km²232,000 km²1395–1897
Siam Wikipedia224,000 km²361,000 km²1783–1931
British Empire Wikipedia202,000 km²2.8 million km²1706–1999
Vientiane Wikipedia173,000 km²173,000 km²1709–1827
Kingdom of Luang Phrabang Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1709–1894
Tây Sơn dynasty Wikipedia104,000 km²151,000 km²1775–1802
Spanish Empire Wikipedia99,000 km²23.1 million km²1516–1931
Chiangmai Wikipedia65,000 km²65,000 km²1775–1884
Kingdom of Champasak Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²1709–1894
Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
Kingdom of Cambodia Wikipedia18,000 km²267,000 km²1540–2024
Nepal Wikipedia15,000 km²170,000 km²1775–2024
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia600 km²15.9 million km²1502–1910
Mughal Empire Wikipedia550 km²365,000 km²1529–1858

"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 1776

New on the map: Siam.

Gone from the map: Thonburi Kingdom, Trịnh lords, Kingdom of Mrauk U.

What comes next: 1800

Gone by 1800: Tibet, Mughal Empire.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in China and East Asia in 1789?

The map data draws 19 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1789. The largest by land were the Qing Dynasty, the Russian Empire, Tibet, the Konbaung Dynasty and the Tokugawa Shogunate.

What was the largest empire in China and East Asia in 1789?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 23.1 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 1789 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1789, 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 1789