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Historical map · 1871

Map of Europe in 1871

In 1871, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 27 states, empires and other polities in Europe. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway. The British Empire reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 22.3 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe 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 Continent Follows (1870)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 7: THE CONTINENT FOLLOWS (1870)

States and empires in Europe in 1871

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Russian Empire Wikipedia3.3 million km²21.6 million km²1721–1916
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.4 million km²2.1 million km²1305–1923
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway Wikipedia798,000 km²799,000 km²1815–1904
French Third Republic Wikipedia784,000 km²1.8 million km²1871–1939
German Empire Wikipedia658,000 km²658,000 km²1871–1918
Austria-Hungary Wikipedia621,000 km²621,000 km²1868–1918
Spanish Empire Wikipedia495,000 km²1.6 million km²1516–1931
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia495,000 km²495,000 km²1516–2024
French Africa Wikipedia349,000 km²528,000 km²1846–1957
British Empire Wikipedia341,000 km²22.3 million km²1706–1999
United Kingdom Wikipedia341,000 km²344,000 km²1709–2024
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia274,000 km²274,000 km²587–1946
Denmark Wikipedia159,000 km²159,000 km²1046–1940
Romania Wikipedia128,000 km²128,000 km²1859–1916
Morocco Wikipedia124,000 km²386,000 km²1670–2024
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia92,000 km²242,000 km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia92,000 km²194,000 km²1147–1911
Beylik of Tunis Wikipedia85,000 km²88,000 km²1706–1884
Greece Wikipedia48,000 km²48,000 km²1822–1940
Serbia Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1805–1915
Swiss Confederation Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1294–2024
Netherlands Wikipedia38,000 km²906,000 km²1811–2024
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia30,000 km²30,000 km²1830–2024
Qajar Iran Wikipedia15,000 km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Montenegro Wikipedia6,120 km²6,120 km²1853–2024
Luxembourg2,400 km²2,400 km²1871–2024
Principality of Andorra Wikipedia380 km²380 km²1815–2024

"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 1850

New on the map: French Third Republic, German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of Italy, Romania, Montenegro, Luxembourg.

Gone from the map: French Second Republic, Austrian Empire, German Confederation, Kingdom of Hungary (Austrian rule), Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Kingdom of Sardinia, Kingdom of Bavaria, Papal States, Kingdom of Hanover, Duchy of Holstein, Kingdom of Saxony, Grand Duchy of Baden, Kingdom of Württemberg, Electorate of Hesse, Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg, Grand Duchy of Hesse, Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, Duchy of Modena and Reggio, Duchy of Nassau, Duchy of Brunswick, Duchy of Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Meiningen, Free City of Lübeck, Principality of Reuss-Gera, Duchy of Anhalt, Saxe-Altenburg, Free City of Hamburg, Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Caucasian Imamate and others.

What comes next: 1880

Appear by 1880: Principality of Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia.

Gone by 1880: Serbia.

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 Europe in 1871?

The map data draws 27 states and other polities in Europe in 1871. The largest by land were the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, the French Third Republic and the German Empire.

What was the largest empire in Europe 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 Europe 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.

Europe in other years

Other regions in 1871