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Historical map · 1871

Map of India and South Asia in 1871

In 1871, 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 British Empire, the British Raj and the Qing Dynasty. The British Empire reached well beyond India and South Asia: its whole territory measured about 22.3 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on India and South Asia in 1871. 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 1871 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1871

States and empires in India and South Asia in 1871

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia4.2 million km²22.3 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia4.2 million km²4.2 million km²1859–1947
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia1.7 million km²8.8 million km²1645–1911
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia663,000 km²666,000 km²1828–1925
Burma Wikipedia402,000 km²438,000 km²1820–2024
Qajar Iran Wikipedia327,000 km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Kashmir and Jammu Wikipedia169,000 km²169,000 km²1846–1947
Nepal Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia108,000 km²384,000 km²1512–1919
Russian Empire Wikipedia61,000 km²21.6 million km²1721–1916
Talpur Dynasty Wikipedia50,000 km²50,000 km²1820–1894
Siam Wikipedia47,000 km²609,000 km²1783–1931
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia47,000 km²832,000 km²1800–1949
Netherlands Wikipedia45,000 km²906,000 km²1811–2024
Sultanate of Aceh Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²1516–1959
Bhutan Wikipedia41,000 km²41,000 km²1636–2024
Chiangmai Wikipedia22,000 km²66,000 km²1775–1884
Sultanate of Oman Wikipedia13,000 km²119,000 km²1744–2024
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia5,210 km²242,000 km²1502–1910
French Third Republic Wikipedia1,100 km²1.8 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia1,100 km²209,000 km²1860–1957

"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 1850

New on the map: British Raj, Russian Empire, French Third Republic, French Indochina.

Gone from the map: Mughal Empire, Emirate of Bukhara, Sultanate of Malacca, French Second Republic.

What comes next: 1880

Gone by 1880: Khanate of Khiva.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in India and South Asia in 1871?

The map data draws 21 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1871. The largest by land were the British Empire, the British Raj, the Qing Dynasty, the Emirate of Afghanistan and Burma.

What was the largest empire in India and South Asia in 1871?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 22.3 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 1871 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1871, 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 1871