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Historical map · 1648

Map of the World in 1648

In 1648, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 115 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Spanish Empire, Tsardom of Russia and the Qing Dynasty.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World 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 the World in 1648

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Spanish Empire Wikipedia13.0 million km²13.0 million km²1516–1931
Tsardom of Russia Wikipedia10.0 million km²10.0 million km²1547–1720
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia4.1 million km²4.1 million km²1645–1911
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia3.5 million km²3.5 million km²1305–1923
Mughal Empire Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1529–1858
Golden Horde Wikipedia2.6 million km²2.6 million km²1294–1695
Safavid Dynasty Wikipedia2.6 million km²2.6 million km²1502–1737
Kazakh Khanate Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1468–1847
Southern Ming Wikipedia2.2 million km²2.2 million km²1645–1682
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1502–1910
Tibet Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1363–1952
Kingdom of France Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²990–1848
Eastern Moghulistan Wikipedia936,000 km²936,000 km²1463–1686
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Wikipedia891,000 km²891,000 km²1572–1793
Swedish Empire Wikipedia890,000 km²890,000 km²1612–1814
Oirat Confederation Wikipedia837,000 km²837,000 km²1402–1676
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia676,000 km²676,000 km²1516–2024
Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia656,000 km²656,000 km²1459–1805
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia629,000 km²629,000 km²1507–1821
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia590,000 km²590,000 km²1272–1935
Denmark Wikipedia548,000 km²548,000 km²1046–1940
First Toungoo Empire Wikipedia523,000 km²523,000 km²1502–1756
Holy Roman Empire Wikipedia505,000 km²505,000 km²922–1806
Khanate of Bukhara Wikipedia427,000 km²427,000 km²1516–1787
Tümed Wikipedia414,000 km²414,000 km²1547–1699
Saadi Sultanate Wikipedia385,000 km²385,000 km²1556–1740
Ayutthaya Kingdom Wikipedia384,000 km²384,000 km²1352–1768
Lan Xang Wikipedia377,000 km²377,000 km²1363–1708
Bornu Empire Wikipedia340,000 km²340,000 km²1072–1894
Tokugawa Shogunate Wikipedia329,000 km²329,000 km²1600–1869
Bijapur Sultanate Wikipedia328,000 km²328,000 km²1492–1686
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia296,000 km²296,000 km²1609–1876
Khoshut Khanate Wikipedia291,000 km²291,000 km²1582–1695
Wadai Empire Wikipedia281,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Kingdom of Cambodia Wikipedia275,000 km²275,000 km²1540–2024
Dutch Republic Wikipedia263,000 km²263,000 km²1582–1795
Jesuit Reducciones Wikipedia243,000 km²243,000 km²1595–1768
Joseon232,000 km²232,000 km²1395–1897
Qasimids Wikipedia214,000 km²214,000 km²1636–1802
Sultanate of Johor Wikipedia208,000 km²208,000 km²1529–1884

Also on the map: Golconda Sultanate, Commonwealth of England, Kalmyk Khanate, Gorkha Kingdom, Kingdom of Kongo, Astrakhan Khanate, Khanate of Khiva, Sultanate of Brunei, Principality of Transylvania, Brandenburg-Prussia, Trịnh lords, Kingdom of Portugal, Kingdom of England, Nguyễn lords, Yarubid dynasty, Sultanate of Banten, Small Horde, Principality of Moldavia, Haudenosaunee, Kingdom of Mrauk U, Sultanate of Palembang, Principality of Wallachia, Mataram Sultanate, Crimean Khanate, Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Irish Catholic Confederation, English Colonial Empire, New Netherland, Nayaks of Madurai, Duchy of Bavaria, Republic of Venice, Swiss Confederation, Sultanate of Aceh, Bhutan, Papal States, House of Savoy, Sultanate of Banjar, Sultanate of Malacca, Electorate of Saxony, Portuguese Ceylon, Itza Mayans, New France, Sultanate of Cirebon, Sultanate of Perak, Balinese Kingdom, Patani Kingdom, Republic of Florence, Kingdom of Mysore, Duchy of Lorraine, Blambangan Kingdom, Kingdom of Kartli, Nayaks of Thanjavur, Republic of Genoa, Principality of Mingrelia, Sultanate of Kedah, Sultanate of Sukadana, Kingdom of Imereti, Sultanate of Bima, Đại Việt, Chámpa, Kutai Kingdom, Oyo Empire, Sultanate of Sambas, Principality of Abkhazia, Principality of Guria, Sultanate of Sulu, Sultanate of Mempawah, New Sweden, Sultanate of Gowa, Comtat Venaissin, Sultanate of Bone, Republic of Ragusa, Kathmandu, Sultanate of Maguindanao, County of Urgell.

"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 1600

New on the map: Qing Dynasty, Southern Ming, Swedish Empire, Oirat Confederation, Kingdom of Spain, Sultanate of Darfur, Wadai Empire, Qasimids, Commonwealth of England, Kalmyk Khanate, Astrakhan Khanate, Principality of Transylvania, Brandenburg-Prussia, Kingdom of Portugal, Yarubid dynasty, Principality of Wallachia, Irish Catholic Confederation, English Colonial Empire, New Netherland, Bhutan, New France, Kingdom of Kartli, Principality of Mingrelia, Sultanate of Sukadana, Kingdom of Imereti, Sultanate of Bima, Kutai Kingdom, Oyo Empire, Sultanate of Sambas, Principality of Abkhazia and others.

Gone from the map: Ming Dynasty, Iberian Union, Kingdom of Sweden, Mongol Khanate, Warring States Japan, Mali Empire, Kingdom of Scotland, Don Cossacks, Lan Na, Electorate of Brandenburg, Duchy of Prussia, Bidar Sultanate, Electorate of Trier.

What comes next: 1700

Appear by 1700: Dzungar Khanate, Morocco, Zaporozhian Cossacks, Sloboda Ukraine, Dutch Ceylon, Dutch Cape Colony, Sultanate of Jambi, French India, Thanjavur Maratha Kingdom, Bali, Dutch Gold Coast, Danish Gold Coast.

Gone by 1700: Golden Horde, Southern Ming, Eastern Moghulistan, Oirat Confederation, Tümed, Bijapur Sultanate, Khoshut Khanate, Golconda Sultanate, Commonwealth of England, Kingdom of Kongo, Principality of Transylvania, Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Irish Catholic Confederation, Electorate of Saxony, Portuguese Ceylon, Itza Mayans, Sultanate of Cirebon, Balinese Kingdom, Patani Kingdom, Nayaks of Thanjavur, Chámpa, New Sweden, Sultanate of Gowa.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the World in 1648?

The map data draws 115 states and other polities in the World in 1648. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, Tsardom of Russia, the Qing Dynasty, the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire.

What was the largest empire in the world 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 the World 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.

World in other years

Other regions in 1648