Historical map · 1600

Map of North America in 1600

In 1600, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 4 states, empires and other polities in North America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, the Spanish Empire and Haudenosaunee. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond North America: its whole territory measured about 13.6 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on North America in 1600. 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 1600 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1600

States and empires in North America in 1600

State	In this region	Whole state	In the data
Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire Wikipedia	2.5 million km²	7.3 million km²	755–1870
Spanish Empire Wikipedia	2.5 million km²	13.6 million km²	1516–1931
Haudenosaunee Wikipedia	72,000 km²	72,000 km²	1450–1782
Itza Mayans Wikipedia	33,000 km²	33,000 km²	1547–1699

"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: Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire.

Gone from the map: Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy.

What comes next: 1648

Appear by 1648: Kingdom of England, English Colonial Empire, Kingdom of France, New France, New Netherland, New Sweden, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Gone by 1648: Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in North America in 1600?

The map data draws 4 states and other polities in North America in 1600. The largest by land were the Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire, the Spanish Empire, Haudenosaunee and Itza Mayans.

What was the largest empire in North America 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 North America 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.

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