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Historical map · 1648

Map of India and South Asia in 1648

In 1648, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 28 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.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on India and South Asia in 1648. 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 1648

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Mughal Empire Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1529–1858
Tibet Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.6 million km²1363–1952
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia982,000 km²2.6 million km²1502–1737
First Toungoo Empire Wikipedia492,000 km²523,000 km²1502–1756
Eastern Moghulistan Wikipedia334,000 km²936,000 km²1463–1686
Bijapur Sultanate Wikipedia328,000 km²328,000 km²1492–1686
Golconda Sultanate Wikipedia204,000 km²204,000 km²1519–1686
Tümed Wikipedia171,000 km²414,000 km²1547–1699
Gorkha Kingdom Wikipedia148,000 km²148,000 km²1588–1787
Southern Ming Wikipedia99,000 km²2.2 million km²1645–1682
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia84,000 km²2.1 million km²1502–1910
Khanate of Bukhara Wikipedia78,000 km²427,000 km²1516–1787
Kingdom of Mrauk U Wikipedia77,000 km²77,000 km²1429–1787
Ahmadnagar Sultanate Wikipedia57,000 km²57,000 km²1492–1652
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia52,000 km²384,000 km²1352–1768
Nayaks of Madurai Wikipedia48,000 km²48,000 km²1529–1737
Sultanate of Aceh Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²1516–1959
Bhutan Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²1636–2024
Portuguese Ceylon Wikipedia33,000 km²33,000 km²1507–1686
Kingdom of Mysore Wikipedia18,000 km²18,000 km²1572–1799
Nayaks of Thanjavur Wikipedia15,000 km²15,000 km²1534–1676
Yarubid dynasty Wikipedia11,000 km²88,000 km²1626–1743
Sultanate of Malacca Wikipedia9,170 km²38,000 km²1459–1861
Dutch Republic Wikipedia1,680 km²263,000 km²1582–1795
Kingdom of England Wikipedia800 km²93,000 km²936–1708
English Colonial Empire Wikipedia800 km²53,000 km²1609–1779
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia720 km²101,000 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 1600

New on the map: Southern Ming, Bhutan, Yarubid dynasty, Sultanate of Malacca, Kingdom of England, English Colonial Empire, Kingdom of Portugal.

Gone from the map: Ming Dynasty, Bidar Sultanate, Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, Spanish Empire, Lan Na, Iberian Union.

What comes next: 1700

Appear by 1700: Dzungar Khanate, Qing Dynasty, Dutch Ceylon, Thanjavur Maratha Kingdom, Kingdom of France, French India.

Gone by 1700: Eastern Moghulistan, Bijapur Sultanate, Golconda Sultanate, Tümed, Southern Ming, Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Portuguese Ceylon, Nayaks of Thanjavur.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in India and South Asia in 1648?

The map data draws 28 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1648. 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 1648?

Of the states on this map, the Mughal Empire held the most land in total: about 2.8 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 1648 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1648, 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 1648