Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1880

Map of China and East Asia in 1880

In 1880, 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 25.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East Asia in 1880. 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 1880 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1880
Atlas map: Dismantling the Old Order (1877)
FROM THE ATLAS · REMAKING THE STATE, CHAPTER 4: DISMANTLING THE OLD ORDER (1877)

States and empires in China and East Asia in 1880

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia9.6 million km²11.1 million km²1645–1911
Russian Empire Wikipedia2.4 million km²22.2 million km²1721–1916
British Empire Wikipedia597,000 km²25.2 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia594,000 km²4.2 million km²1859–1947
Burma Wikipedia438,000 km²438,000 km²1820–2024
Empire of Japan Wikipedia422,000 km²427,000 km²1868–1946
Siam Wikipedia413,000 km²609,000 km²1783–1931
Joseon232,000 km²232,000 km²1395–1897
Nguyễn dynasty Wikipedia170,000 km²235,000 km²1791–1884
Kingdom of Luang Phrabang Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1709–1894
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia99,000 km²990,000 km²1516–2024
Spanish Empire Wikipedia99,000 km²990,000 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 km²2.3 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 1871

New on the map: Kingdom of Spain.

Gone from the map: Panthay Rebellion.

What comes next: 1900

Appear by 1900: Korean Empire, United States of America, German Empire, Kingdom of Belgium.

Gone by 1900: Burma, Joseon, Nguyễn dynasty, Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, Kingdom of Spain, Spanish Empire, Chiangmai, Kingdom of Champasak.

Read the history of 1880

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 1880?

The map data draws 19 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1880. The largest by land were the Qing Dynasty, the Russian Empire, the British Empire, the British Raj and Burma.

What was the largest empire in China and East Asia in 1880?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 25.2 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 1880 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1880, 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 1880