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Historical map · 1776

Map of North America in 1776

In 1776, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 9 states, empires and other polities in North America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Spanish Empire, the United States of America and the British Empire. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond North America: its whole territory measured about 20.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on North America in 1776. 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 1776 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1776
Atlas map: The World of 1775 (Apr 1775)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE AGE OF REVOLUTIONS, CHAPTER 1: THE WORLD OF 1775 (APR 1775)

States and empires in North America in 1776

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Spanish Empire Wikipedia3.5 million km²20.2 million km²1516–1931
United States of America Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1776–2024
British Empire Wikipedia922,000 km²3.2 million km²1706–1999
New France Wikipedia69,000 km²91,000 km²1609–1791
Greenland Wikipedia52,000 km²80,000 km²1734–1940
Kingdom of France Wikipedia36,000 km²1.1 million km²990–1848
Haudenosaunee Wikipedia15,000 km²15,000 km²1450–1782
Russian Empire Wikipedia4,260 km²16.0 million km²1721–1916
New Netherland Wikipedia2,180 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 1750

New on the map: United States of America, Russian Empire.

What comes next: 1789

Appear by 1789: Vermont Republic.

Gone by 1789: Haudenosaunee.

Read the history of 1776

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

Questions about this map

Which countries were in North America in 1776?

The map data draws 9 states and other polities in North America in 1776. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, the United States of America, the British Empire, New France and Greenland.

What was the largest empire in North America in 1776?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 20.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore North America in 1776 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1776, 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 1776