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Historical map · 1789

Map of South America in 1789

In 1789, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 6 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 New Netherland. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond South America: its whole territory measured about 23.1 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on South 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: The French Revolution (Jul 1789)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE AGE OF REVOLUTIONS, CHAPTER 3: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (JUL 1789)

States and empires in South America in 1789

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Spanish Empire Wikipedia8.1 million km²23.1 million km²1516–1931
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia7.8 million km²15.9 million km²1502–1910
New Netherland Wikipedia44,000 km²44,000 km²1622–1802
New France Wikipedia38,000 km²78,000 km²1609–1791
Kingdom of France Wikipedia20,000 km²1.1 million km²990–1848
British Empire Wikipedia9,220 km²2.8 million km²1706–1999

"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

Between 1776 and 1789 the data shows the same states in South America; their borders may still have moved.

What comes next: 1800

Appear by 1800: French Louisiana.

Gone by 1800: New Netherland, New France, Kingdom of France.

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 South America in 1789?

The map data draws 6 states and other polities in South America in 1789. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, the Portuguese Empire, New Netherland, New France and the Kingdom of France.

What was the largest empire in South 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 South 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.

South America in other years

Other regions in 1789