Historical map · 1700

Map of South America in 1700

In 1700, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 8 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 14.5 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on South 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 South America in 1700

State	In this region	Whole state	In the data
Spanish Empire Wikipedia	4.1 million km²	14.5 million km²	1516–1931
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia	1.1 million km²	2.4 million km²	1502–1910
Jesuit Reducciones Wikipedia	243,000 km²	243,000 km²	1595–1768
New Netherland Wikipedia	44,000 km²	44,000 km²	1622–1802
Kingdom of France Wikipedia	21,000 km²	1.2 million km²	990–1848
New France Wikipedia	21,000 km²	141,000 km²	1609–1791
Kingdom of England Wikipedia	740 km²	902,000 km²	936–1708
English Colonial Empire Wikipedia	740 km²	222,000 km²	1609–1779

"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: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

What comes next: 1750

Appear by 1750: British Empire.

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

Questions about this map

Which countries were in South America in 1700?

The map data draws 8 states and other polities in South America in 1700. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, the Portuguese Empire, Jesuit Reducciones, New Netherland and the Kingdom of France.

What was the largest empire in South 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 South 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.

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