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Historical map · 1871

Map of China and East Asia in 1871

In 1871, 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 the British Empire. The British Empire reached well beyond China and East Asia: its whole territory measured about 22.3 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East Asia in 1871. 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 1871 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1871
Atlas map: The Fall of the Shogunate (1868)
FROM THE ATLAS · REMAKING THE STATE, CHAPTER 3: THE FALL OF THE SHOGUNATE (1868)

States and empires in China and East Asia in 1871

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia8.2 million km²8.8 million km²1645–1911
Russian Empire Wikipedia2.4 million km²21.6 million km²1721–1916
British Empire Wikipedia597,000 km²22.3 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia594,000 km²4.2 million km²1859–1947
Empire of Japan Wikipedia461,000 km²461,000 km²1868–1946
Burma Wikipedia438,000 km²438,000 km²1820–2024
Siam Wikipedia413,000 km²609,000 km²1783–1931
Panthay Rebellion Wikipedia343,000 km²343,000 km²1856–1872
Joseon232,000 km²232,000 km²1395–1897
Nguyễn dynasty Wikipedia170,000 km²235,000 km²1791–1884
Kingdom of Luang Phrabang Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1709–1894
Spanish Empire Wikipedia99,000 km²1.6 million km²1516–1931
Chiangmai Wikipedia66,000 km²66,000 km²1775–1884
Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
Kingdom of Champasak Wikipedia37,000 km²37,000 km²1709–1894
French Third Republic Wikipedia7,680 km²1.8 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia7,680 km²209,000 km²1860–1957
Nepal Wikipedia2,140 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia600 km²242,000 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 1850

New on the map: British Raj, Empire of Japan, Panthay Rebellion, French Third Republic, French Indochina.

Gone from the map: Tokugawa Shogunate, Kingdom of Cambodia.

What comes next: 1880

Appear by 1880: Kingdom of Spain.

Gone by 1880: Panthay Rebellion.

Read the history of 1871

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in China and East Asia in 1871?

The map data draws 19 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1871. The largest by land were the Qing Dynasty, the Russian Empire, the British Empire, the British Raj and the Empire of Japan.

What was the largest empire in China and East Asia in 1871?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 22.3 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 1871 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1871, 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 1871