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Historical map · 1900

Map of Europe in 1900

In 1900, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 28 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 French Third Republic. The British Empire reached well beyond Europe: its whole territory measured about 41.1 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Europe 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: The Brittle Giant (Nov 1905)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 3: THE BRITTLE GIANT (NOV 1905)

States and empires in Europe in 1900

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Russian Empire Wikipedia3.4 million km²23.0 million km²1721–1916
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia1.2 million km²2.2 million km²1305–1923
French Third Republic Wikipedia995,000 km²6.5 million km²1871–1939
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway Wikipedia798,000 km²799,000 km²1815–1904
Austria-Hungary Wikipedia676,000 km²676,000 km²1868–1918
German Empire Wikipedia555,000 km²815,000 km²1871–1918
Spanish Empire Wikipedia495,000 km²841,000 km²1516–1931
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia495,000 km²841,000 km²1516–2024
French Africa Wikipedia457,000 km²4.5 million km²1846–1957
United Kingdom Wikipedia352,000 km²740,000 km²1709–2024
British Empire Wikipedia352,000 km²41.1 million km²1706–1999
Kingdom of Italy Wikipedia274,000 km²277,000 km²587–1946
Denmark Wikipedia159,000 km²159,000 km²1046–1940
Romania Wikipedia130,000 km²130,000 km²1859–1916
Morocco Wikipedia124,000 km²359,000 km²1670–2024
Principality of Bulgaria Wikipedia100,000 km²100,000 km²1880–1908
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia92,000 km²2.0 million km²1502–1910
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia92,000 km²1.9 million km²1147–1911
Greece Wikipedia64,000 km²64,000 km²1822–1940
Serbia Wikipedia50,000 km²50,000 km²1805–1915
Swiss Confederation Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1294–2024
Netherlands Wikipedia38,000 km²1.9 million km²1811–2024
Kingdom of Belgium Wikipedia30,000 km²31,000 km²1830–2024
Qajar Iran Wikipedia15,000 km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Montenegro Wikipedia8,780 km²8,780 km²1853–2024
Cretan State Wikipedia5,500 km²5,500 km²1898–1907
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 1880

New on the map: Serbia, Cretan State.

Gone from the map: Beylik of Tunis, Kingdom of Serbia.

What comes next: 1910

Appear by 1910: Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Bulgaria.

Gone by 1910: United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, Principality of Bulgaria, Cretan State.

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 Europe in 1900?

The map data draws 28 states and other polities in Europe in 1900. The largest by land were the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the French Third Republic, the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway and Austria-Hungary.

What was the largest empire in Europe 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 Europe 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.

Europe in other years

Other regions in 1900