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Historical map · 1453

Map of India and South Asia in 1453

In 1453, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 26 states, empires and other polities in India and South Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire, the Timurid Empire and Tibet. The Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty reached well beyond India and South Asia: its whole territory measured about 5.4 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on India and South Asia in 1453. 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.

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States and empires in India and South Asia in 1453

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire Wikipedia1.6 million km²4.7 million km²1375–1467
Timurid Empire Wikipedia1.6 million km²3.7 million km²1375–1506
Tibet Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.5 million km²1363–1952
Vassalage of Jaffna kingdom to Vijayanagara Empire Wikipedia581,000 km²593,000 km²1314–1594
Vijayanagara Empire Wikipedia570,000 km²570,000 km²1344–1571
Bahmani Sultanate Wikipedia376,000 km²376,000 km²1352–1491
Chagatai Khanate Wikipedia336,000 km²1.5 million km²1294–1462
Sultanate of Bengal Wikipedia307,000 km²307,000 km²1344–1533
Delhi Sultanate Wikipedia247,000 km²247,000 km²1210–1528
Lodi Dynasty Wikipedia247,000 km²247,000 km²1453–1528
Shan States Wikipedia238,000 km²275,000 km²1294–1563
Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty203,000 km²5.4 million km²1395–1897
Ming Dynasty Wikipedia203,000 km²5.0 million km²1375–1644
Ava Kingdom Wikipedia193,000 km²193,000 km²1375–1528
Jaunpur Sultanate Wikipedia160,000 km²160,000 km²1395–1481
Kashmiri Sultanate Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1344–1587
Sind-Samma Dynasty Wikipedia123,000 km²123,000 km²1344–1525
Kingdom of Mrauk U Wikipedia85,000 km²85,000 km²1429–1787
Majapahit Wikipedia83,000 km²1.0 million km²1294–1518
Hanthawaddy Kingdom Wikipedia79,000 km²79,000 km²1294–1546
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia63,000 km²385,000 km²1352–1768
Ceylon63,000 km²63,000 km²1236–1506
Lan Na Kingdom Wikipedia22,000 km²53,000 km²1294–1761
Mahdids Wikipedia12,000 km²85,000 km²1169–1506
Samudera Pasai Sultanate Wikipedia8,450 km²8,450 km²1272–1520
Kathmandu Wikipedia660 km²660 km²1202–1761

"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 1444

New on the map: Lodi Dynasty.

Gone from the map: Sayyid Dynasty, Sukhothai Kingdom.

What comes next: 1492

Appear by 1492: Moghulistan, Mongol Khanate, Bijapur Sultanate, Kapisa, Berar Sultanate, Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Bidar Sultanate, Aq Qoyunlu, Kazakh Khanate, Prome Kingdom.

Gone by 1492: Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire, Bahmani Sultanate, Chagatai Khanate, Jaunpur Sultanate, Majapahit.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in India and South Asia in 1453?

The map data draws 26 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1453. The largest by land were the Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire, the Timurid Empire, Tibet, the Vassalage of Jaffna kingdom to Vijayanagara Empire and the Vijayanagara Empire.

What was the largest empire in India and South Asia in 1453?

Of the states on this map, the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty held the most land in total: about 5.4 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore India and South Asia in 1453 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1453, 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.

India in other years

Other regions in 1453