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Historical map · 1800

Map of South America in 1800

In 1800, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 4 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 the British Empire. 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 1800. 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 1800 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1800
Atlas map: The Haitian Revolution (Jan 1804)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE AGE OF REVOLUTIONS, CHAPTER 5: THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION (JAN 1804)

States and empires in South America in 1800

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
British Empire Wikipedia59,000 km²4.2 million km²1706–1999
French Louisiana Wikipedia20,000 km²54,000 km²1800–1804

"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 1789

New on the map: French Louisiana.

Gone from the map: New Netherland, New France, Kingdom of France.

What comes next: 1815

Appear by 1815: Río de la Plata, Federal League, New Granada, Paraguay, Company rule in India (British East India Company), Kingdom of France (Bourbon Restoration), Netherlands Antilles.

Gone by 1815: French Louisiana.

Read the history of 1800

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 1800?

The map data draws 4 states and other polities in South America in 1800. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, the Portuguese Empire, the British Empire and French Louisiana.

What was the largest empire in South America in 1800?

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 1800 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1800, 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 1800