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Historical map · 1789

Map of North America in 1789

In 1789, 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 23.1 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on North America in 1789. 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 1789 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1789
Atlas map: Saint-Domingue: The Richest Colony (1789)
FROM THE ATLAS · TWO ROADS TO INDEPENDENCE, CHAPTER 1: SAINT-DOMINGUE: THE RICHEST COLONY (1789)

States and empires in North America in 1789

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Spanish Empire Wikipedia3.7 million km²23.1 million km²1516–1931
United States of America Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1776–2024
British Empire Wikipedia691,000 km²2.8 million km²1706–1999
Greenland Wikipedia54,000 km²102,000 km²1734–1940
Kingdom of France Wikipedia36,000 km²1.1 million km²990–1848
New France Wikipedia36,000 km²78,000 km²1609–1791
Vermont Republic Wikipedia28,000 km²28,000 km²1783–1790
Russian Empire Wikipedia9,400 km²16.2 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 1776

New on the map: Vermont Republic.

Gone from the map: Haudenosaunee.

What comes next: 1800

Appear by 1800: French Louisiana, Haiti, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

Gone by 1800: Kingdom of France, New France, Vermont Republic.

Read the history of 1789

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 1789?

The map data draws 9 states and other polities in North America in 1789. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, the United States of America, the British Empire, Greenland and the Kingdom of France.

What was the largest empire in North America in 1789?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 23.1 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore North America in 1789 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1789, 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 1789