Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1550

Map of India and South Asia in 1550

In 1550, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 29 states, empires and other polities in India and South Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were Tibet, the Sur Empire and the Safavid Dynasty. The Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty reached well beyond India and South Asia: its whole territory measured about 4.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on India and South Asia in 1550. 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 1550 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1550

States and empires in India and South Asia in 1550

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Tibet Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.5 million km²1363–1952
Sur Empire Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1540–1594
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia771,000 km²2.4 million km²1502–1737
Vijayanagara Empire Wikipedia340,000 km²340,000 km²1344–1571
Eastern Moghulistan Wikipedia336,000 km²1.1 million km²1463–1686
Shan States Wikipedia321,000 km²358,000 km²1294–1563
Mughal Empire Wikipedia317,000 km²317,000 km²1529–1858
First Toungoo Empire Wikipedia238,000 km²238,000 km²1502–1756
Tümed Wikipedia171,000 km²2.1 million km²1547–1699
Bijapur Sultanate Wikipedia154,000 km²154,000 km²1492–1686
Kashmiri Sultanate Wikipedia152,000 km²152,000 km²1344–1587
Golconda Sultanate Wikipedia104,000 km²104,000 km²1519–1686
Berar Sultanate Wikipedia80,000 km²80,000 km²1492–1578
Khanate of Bukhara Wikipedia78,000 km²430,000 km²1516–1787
Ahmadnagar Sultanate Wikipedia76,000 km²76,000 km²1492–1652
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia74,000 km²602,000 km²1502–1910
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia63,000 km²406,000 km²1352–1768
Kingdom of Mrauk U Wikipedia52,000 km²52,000 km²1429–1787
Portuguese Ceylon Wikipedia50,000 km²50,000 km²1507–1686
Nayaks of Madurai Wikipedia48,000 km²48,000 km²1529–1737
Sultanate of Aceh Wikipedia45,000 km²45,000 km²1516–1959
Bidar Sultanate Wikipedia32,000 km²32,000 km²1492–1618
Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty32,000 km²4.2 million km²1395–1897
Ming Dynasty Wikipedia32,000 km²3.7 million km²1375–1644
Lan Na Kingdom Wikipedia22,000 km²53,000 km²1294–1761
Nayaks of Thanjavur Wikipedia15,000 km²15,000 km²1534–1676
Jaffna kingdom Wikipedia12,000 km²12,000 km²1314–1594
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia700 km²173,000 km²1147–1911
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 1500

New on the map: Sur Empire, Safavid Dynasty, Mughal Empire, First Toungoo Empire, Tümed, Golconda Sultanate, Khanate of Bukhara, Portuguese Empire, Portuguese Ceylon, Nayaks of Madurai, Sultanate of Aceh, Nayaks of Thanjavur, Kingdom of Portugal.

Gone from the map: Timurid Empire, Lodi Dynasty, Delhi Sultanate, Sultanate of Bengal, Ava Kingdom, Mongol Khanate, Sind-Samma Dynasty, Kapisa, Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Ceylon, Aq Qoyunlu, Prome Kingdom, Kazakh Khanate, Samudera Pasai Sultanate, Mahdids.

What comes next: 1600

Appear by 1600: Gorkha Kingdom, Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Spanish Empire, Kingdom of Mysore, Dutch Republic, Iberian Union.

Gone by 1600: Sur Empire, Vijayanagara Empire, Shan States, Kashmiri Sultanate, Berar Sultanate, Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty, Jaffna kingdom, Kingdom of Portugal.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in India and South Asia in 1550?

The map data draws 29 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1550. The largest by land were Tibet, the Sur Empire, the Safavid Dynasty, the Vijayanagara Empire and Eastern Moghulistan.

What was the largest empire in India and South Asia in 1550?

Of the states on this map, the Allegiance of Joseon to Ming Dynasty held the most land in total: about 4.2 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 1550 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1550, 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 1550