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Historical map · 1900

Map of India and South Asia in 1900

In 1900, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 16 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 41.1 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on India and South Asia in 1900. 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 1900 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1900
Atlas map: The Raj at High Noon (Jan 1905)
FROM THE ATLAS · INDIAN INDEPENDENCE & PARTITION, CHAPTER 3: THE RAJ AT HIGH NOON (JAN 1905)

States and empires in India and South Asia in 1900

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia4.8 million km²41.1 million km²1706–1999
British Raj Wikipedia4.8 million km²4.9 million km²1859–1947
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia2.0 million km²10.4 million km²1645–1911
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia641,000 km²644,000 km²1828–1925
Qajar Iran Wikipedia327,000 km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Russian Empire Wikipedia168,000 km²23.0 million km²1721–1916
Nepal Wikipedia149,000 km²149,000 km²1775–2024
Siam Wikipedia67,000 km²615,000 km²1783–1931
Netherlands Wikipedia61,000 km²1.9 million km²1811–2024
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia61,000 km²1.8 million km²1800–1949
Sultanate of Aceh Wikipedia42,000 km²42,000 km²1516–1959
Bhutan Wikipedia40,000 km²40,000 km²1636–2024
Sultanate of Muscat and Oman Wikipedia13,000 km²127,000 km²1900–1969
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia5,210 km²2.0 million km²1502–1910
French Third Republic Wikipedia1,100 km²6.5 million km²1871–1939
French Indochina Wikipedia1,100 km²702,000 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 1880

New on the map: Sultanate of Muscat and Oman.

Gone from the map: Burma, Kashmir and Jammu, Talpur Dynasty, Chiangmai, Sultanate of Oman.

What comes next: 1910

Between 1900 and 1910 the data shows the same states in India and South Asia; their borders may still have moved.

Read the history of 1900

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in India and South Asia in 1900?

The map data draws 16 states and other polities in India and South Asia in 1900. The largest by land were the British Empire, the British Raj, the Qing Dynasty, the Emirate of Afghanistan and Qajar Iran.

What was the largest empire in India and South Asia in 1900?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 41.1 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 1900 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1900, 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 1900