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Historical map · 1648

Map of South America in 1648

In 1648, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 9 states, empires and other polities in South America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Spanish Empire, the Portuguese Empire and Jesuit Reducciones. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond South America: its whole territory measured about 13.0 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on South 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 South America in 1648

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Spanish Empire Wikipedia4.0 million km²13.0 million km²1516–1931
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia859,000 km²2.1 million km²1502–1910
Jesuit Reducciones Wikipedia243,000 km²243,000 km²1595–1768
New Netherland Wikipedia26,000 km²49,000 km²1622–1802
Kingdom of England Wikipedia740 km²93,000 km²936–1708
English Colonial Empire Wikipedia740 km²53,000 km²1609–1779
Kingdom of France Wikipedia680 km²1.0 million km²990–1848
New France Wikipedia680 km²32,000 km²1609–1791
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Wikipedia570 km²891,000 km²1572–1793

"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 1550

New on the map: Jesuit Reducciones, New Netherland, Kingdom of England, English Colonial Empire, Kingdom of France, New France, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

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

What comes next: 1700

Gone by 1700: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in South America in 1648?

The map data draws 9 states and other polities in South America in 1648. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, the Portuguese Empire, Jesuit Reducciones, New Netherland and the Kingdom of England.

What was the largest empire in South 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 South 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.

South America in other years

Other regions in 1648