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Historical map · 1700

Map of North America in 1700

In 1700, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 7 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 14.5 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on North America in 1700. 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 1700 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1700

States and empires in North America in 1700

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Spanish Empire Wikipedia3.3 million km²14.5 million km²1516–1931
Haudenosaunee Wikipedia532,000 km²532,000 km²1450–1782
Kingdom of England Wikipedia216,000 km²902,000 km²936–1708
English Colonial Empire Wikipedia216,000 km²222,000 km²1609–1779
Kingdom of France Wikipedia127,000 km²1.2 million km²990–1848
New France Wikipedia118,000 km²141,000 km²1609–1791
New Netherland Wikipedia1,850 km²44,000 km²1622–1802

"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 1648

Gone from the map: Itza Mayans, New Sweden, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

What comes next: 1750

Appear by 1750: British Empire, Greenland.

Gone by 1750: Kingdom of England, English Colonial Empire.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in North America in 1700?

The map data draws 7 states and other polities in North America in 1700. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, Haudenosaunee, the Kingdom of England, the English Colonial Empire and the Kingdom of France.

What was the largest empire in North America in 1700?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 14.5 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore North America in 1700 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1700, 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.

North America in other years

Other regions in 1700