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Historical map · 1600

Map of India and South Asia in 1600

In 1600, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 27 states, empires and other polities in India and South Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Mughal Empire, Tibet and the Safavid Dynasty. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond India and South Asia: its whole territory measured about 13.6 million km².

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States and empires in India and South Asia in 1600

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Mughal Empire Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1529–1858
Tibet Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.5 million km²1363–1952
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia958,000 km²2.2 million km²1502–1737
First Toungoo Empire Wikipedia401,000 km²401,000 km²1502–1756
Eastern Moghulistan Wikipedia334,000 km²1.1 million km²1463–1686
Bijapur Sultanate Wikipedia248,000 km²248,000 km²1492–1686
Tümed Wikipedia171,000 km²414,000 km²1547–1699
Gorkha Kingdom Wikipedia148,000 km²148,000 km²1588–1787
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia121,000 km²452,000 km²1352–1768
Golconda Sultanate Wikipedia114,000 km²114,000 km²1519–1686
Ming Dynasty Wikipedia100,000 km²3.9 million km²1375–1644
Khanate of Bukhara Wikipedia78,000 km²337,000 km²1516–1787
Kingdom of Mrauk U Wikipedia77,000 km²77,000 km²1429–1787
Sultanate of Aceh Wikipedia60,000 km²60,000 km²1516–1959
Ahmadnagar Sultanate Wikipedia56,000 km²56,000 km²1492–1652
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia56,000 km²57,000 km²1502–1910
Portuguese Ceylon Wikipedia55,000 km²55,000 km²1507–1686
Nayaks of Madurai Wikipedia48,000 km²48,000 km²1529–1737
Bidar Sultanate Wikipedia32,000 km²32,000 km²1492–1618
Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire Wikipedia29,000 km²7.3 million km²755–1870
Spanish Empire Wikipedia29,000 km²13.6 million km²1516–1931
Lan Na Wikipedia22,000 km²53,000 km²1294–1761
Kingdom of Mysore Wikipedia18,000 km²18,000 km²1572–1799
Nayaks of Thanjavur Wikipedia15,000 km²15,000 km²1534–1676
Dutch Republic Wikipedia910 km²73,000 km²1582–1795
Iberian Union Wikipedia700 km²796,000 km²1582–1639
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 1550

New on the map: Gorkha Kingdom, Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Spanish Empire, Kingdom of Mysore, Dutch Republic, Iberian Union.

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

What comes next: 1648

Appear by 1648: Southern Ming, Bhutan, Yarubid dynasty, Sultanate of Malacca, Kingdom of England, English Colonial Empire, Kingdom of Portugal.

Gone by 1648: Ming Dynasty, Bidar Sultanate, Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Spanish Empire, Lan Na, Iberian Union.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in India and South Asia in 1600?

The map data draws 27 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1600. The largest by land were the Mughal Empire, Tibet, the Safavid Dynasty, the First Toungoo Empire and Eastern Moghulistan.

What was the largest empire in India and South Asia in 1600?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 13.6 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 1600 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1600, 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 1600