Historical map · 1648

Map of North America in 1648

In 1648, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 10 states, empires and other polities in North America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Spanish Empire, Haudenosaunee and the Kingdom of England. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond North America: its whole territory measured about 13.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on North America 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.

OPEN 1648 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1648

States and empires in North America in 1648

State	In this region	Whole state	In the data
Spanish Empire Wikipedia	2.6 million km²	13.0 million km²	1516–1931
Haudenosaunee Wikipedia	78,000 km²	78,000 km²	1450–1782
Kingdom of England Wikipedia	51,000 km²	93,000 km²	936–1708
English Colonial Empire Wikipedia	51,000 km²	53,000 km²	1609–1779
Itza Mayans Wikipedia	33,000 km²	33,000 km²	1547–1699
Kingdom of France Wikipedia	30,000 km²	1.0 million km²	990–1848
New France Wikipedia	30,000 km²	32,000 km²	1609–1791
New Netherland Wikipedia	25,000 km²	49,000 km²	1622–1802
New Sweden Wikipedia	2,840 km²	2,840 km²	1640–1658
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Wikipedia	570 km²	891,000 km²	1572–1793

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

Gone from the map: Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire.

What comes next: 1700

Gone by 1700: Itza Mayans, New Sweden, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in North America in 1648?

The map data draws 10 states and other polities in North America in 1648. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, Haudenosaunee, the Kingdom of England, the English Colonial Empire and Itza Mayans.

What was the largest empire in North America in 1648?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 13.0 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore North America 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.

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