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Historical map · 1900

Map of China and East Asia in 1900

In 1900, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 15 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 41.1 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on China and East Asia in 1900. 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 1900 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1900
Atlas map: A Great Power (1910)
FROM THE ATLAS · REMAKING THE STATE, CHAPTER 6: A GREAT POWER (1910)

States and empires in China and East Asia in 1900

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia8.8 million km²10.4 million km²1645–1911
Russian Empire Wikipedia3.1 million km²23.0 million km²1721–1916
British Empire Wikipedia1.0 million km²41.1 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia1.0 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Empire of Japan Wikipedia464,000 km²469,000 km²1868–1946
French Third Republic Wikipedia425,000 km²6.5 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia425,000 km²702,000 km²1860–1957
Siam Wikipedia419,000 km²615,000 km²1783–1931
Korean Empire Wikipedia232,000 km²232,000 km²1898–1910
United States of America Wikipedia100,000 km²9.9 million km²1776–2024
Bhutan Wikipedia40,000 km²40,000 km²1636–2024
German Empire Wikipedia2,470 km²815,000 km²1871–1918
Nepal Wikipedia1,850 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia600 km²2.0 million km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia490 km²31,000 km²1830–2024

"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 1880

New on the map: Korean Empire, United States of America, German Empire, Kingdom of Belgium.

Gone from the map: Burma, Joseon, Nguyễn dynasty, Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, Kingdom of Spain, Spanish Empire, Chiangmai, Kingdom of Champasak.

What comes next: 1910

Appear by 1910: Austria-Hungary.

Read the history of 1900

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 1900?

The map data draws 15 states and other polities in China and East Asia in 1900. 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 1900?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 41.1 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 1900 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1900, 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 1900