Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 1815

Map of India and South Asia in 1815

In 1815, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 21 states, empires and other polities in India and South Asia. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Qing Dynasty, Company rule in India (British East India Company) and the British Empire. The Portuguese Empire reached well beyond India and South Asia: its whole territory measured about 15.8 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on India and South Asia in 1815. 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 1815 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1815

States and empires in India and South Asia in 1815

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia2.0 million km²12.5 million km²1645–1911
Company rule in India (British East India Company)1.8 million km²3.4 million km²1811–1819
British Empire Wikipedia1.8 million km²6.2 million km²1706–1999
Durrani Empire Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1748–1827
Maratha Empire Wikipedia857,000 km²857,000 km²1677–1845
Konbaung Dynasty Wikipedia628,000 km²678,000 km²1741–1819
Qajar Iran Wikipedia329,000 km²1.7 million km²1788–1923
Mughal Empire Wikipedia241,000 km²241,000 km²1529–1858
Nepal Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Emirate of Bukhara Wikipedia138,000 km²368,000 km²1788–1919
Sikh Empire Wikipedia63,000 km²63,000 km²1799–1848
Siam Wikipedia47,000 km²432,000 km²1783–1931
Sultanate of Aceh Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²1516–1959
Bhutan Wikipedia40,000 km²40,000 km²1636–2024
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia28,000 km²737,000 km²1512–1919
Chiangmai Wikipedia22,000 km²65,000 km²1775–1884
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia12,000 km²76,000 km²1744–2024
Sultanate of Malacca Wikipedia9,170 km²40,000 km²1459–1861
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia5,270 km²15.8 million km²1502–1910
Netherlands Wikipedia4,800 km²469,000 km²1811–2024
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia4,800 km²327,000 km²1800–1949

"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 1800

New on the map: Company rule in India (British East India Company), Netherlands, Dutch East Indies.

Gone from the map: Carnatic Sultanate, Nawab of Awadh, British Ceylon, Sikh Confederacy, French India, Danish India.

What comes next: 1830

Appear by 1830: Emirate of Afghanistan, Talpur Dynasty, Burma, French India.

Gone by 1830: Company rule in India (British East India Company), Durrani Empire, Konbaung Dynasty.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in India and South Asia in 1815?

The map data draws 21 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1815. The largest by land were the Qing Dynasty, Company rule in India (British East India Company), the British Empire, the Durrani Empire and the Maratha Empire.

What was the largest empire in India and South Asia in 1815?

Of the states on this map, the Portuguese Empire held the most land in total: about 15.8 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 1815 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1815, 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 1815