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Historical map · 1776

Map of the World in 1776

In 1776, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 127 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Spanish Empire, the Russian Empire and the Portuguese Empire.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1776. 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 1776 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1776
Atlas map: The World of 1775 (Apr 1775)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE AGE OF REVOLUTIONS, CHAPTER 1: THE WORLD OF 1775 (APR 1775)

States and empires in the World in 1776

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Spanish Empire Wikipedia20.2 million km²20.2 million km²1516–1931
Russian Empire Wikipedia16.0 million km²16.0 million km²1721–1916
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia13.3 million km²13.3 million km²1502–1910
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia11.2 million km²11.2 million km²1645–1911
British Empire Wikipedia3.2 million km²3.2 million km²1706–1999
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.9 million km²2.9 million km²1305–1923
Kazakh Khanate Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1468–1847
Durrani Empire Wikipedia1.8 million km²1.8 million km²1748–1827
Zand Dynasty Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1748–1793
Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1459–1805
Maratha Empire Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1677–1845
Tibet Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1363–1952
Kingdom of France Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²990–1848
United States of America Wikipedia1.0 million km²1.0 million km²1776–2024
Dutch Republic Wikipedia845,000 km²845,000 km²1582–1795
Swedish Empire Wikipedia785,000 km²785,000 km²1612–1814
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia629,000 km²629,000 km²1507–1821
Konbaung Dynasty Wikipedia619,000 km²619,000 km²1741–1819
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia593,000 km²593,000 km²1516–2024
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Wikipedia531,000 km²531,000 km²1572–1793
Denmark Wikipedia523,000 km²523,000 km²1046–1940
Morocco Wikipedia388,000 km²388,000 km²1670–2024
Holy Roman Empire Wikipedia381,000 km²381,000 km²922–1806
Thonburi Kingdom Wikipedia361,000 km²361,000 km²1769–1782
United Kingdom Wikipedia340,000 km²340,000 km²1709–2024
Bornu Empire Wikipedia340,000 km²340,000 km²1072–1894
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia334,000 km²334,000 km²1512–1919
Tokugawa Shogunate Wikipedia329,000 km²329,000 km²1600–1869
Mughal Empire Wikipedia328,000 km²328,000 km²1529–1858
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia296,000 km²296,000 km²1609–1876
Wadai Empire Wikipedia281,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Kingdom of Cambodia Wikipedia267,000 km²267,000 km²1540–2024
Khanate of Bukhara Wikipedia266,000 km²266,000 km²1516–1787
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia241,000 km²241,000 km²1272–1935
Joseon232,000 km²232,000 km²1395–1897
Regency of Algiers Wikipedia211,000 km²211,000 km²1706–1845
Kingdom of Prussia Wikipedia205,000 km²205,000 km²1702–1863
Hyderabad State Wikipedia185,000 km²185,000 km²1727–1947
Vientiane Wikipedia173,000 km²173,000 km²1709–1827
Sultanate of Johor Wikipedia165,000 km²165,000 km²1529–1884

Also on the map: Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, Trịnh lords, Dutch Cape Colony, Qasimids, Ashanti Empire, Carnatic Sultanate, Crimean Khanate, Sultanate of Oman, Kingdom of Lunda, Nawab of Awadh, Kingdom of Portugal, Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic), Gorkha Kingdom, Kingdom of Mysore, New France, Oyo Empire, Khanates of the Caucasus, Khanate of Kokand, Karamanli Dynasty, Greenland, Beylik of Tunis, Kingdom of Sardinia, Sultanate of Palembang, Principality of Wallachia, Principality of Moldavia, Sultanate of Brunei, Sultanate of Sulu, Emirate of Diriyah, Sultanate of Banten, Sikh Confederacy, Kingdom of Mrauk U, Nepal, Tây Sơn dynasty, Kingdom of Georgia, Chiangmai, Sultanate of Malacca, Duchy of Bavaria, Republic of Venice, New Netherland, Swiss Confederation, Kingdom of Champasak, Sultanate of Aceh, Papal States, Bhutan, Sultanate of Banjar, Electorate of Saxony, Electorate of Hanover, Dutch Ceylon, Duchy of Courland, Sultanate of Jambi, Sultanate of Perak, Bamana Empire, Haudenosaunee, Sultanate of Terengganu, Thanjavur Maratha Kingdom, Republic of Genoa, Sultanate of Kedah, Sultanate of Selangor, Sultanate of Sukadana, Kingdom of Imereti, Sultanate of Bima, French India, Principality of Abkhazia, Kelantan, Bali, Sultanate of Kutai Kartanegara, Dutch Gold Coast, Negeri Sembilan, Sultanate of Sambas, Kuwait, Principality of Mingrelia, Yogyakarta Sultanate, Pontianak Kadriyah Sultanate, Principality of Guria, Surakarta Sunanate, Đại Việt, Sultanate of Mempawah, Principality of Svaneti, Danish India, Comtat Venaissin, Sultanate of Bone, Republic of Ragusa, English Colonial Empire, Bahrain, Danish Gold Coast, 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 1750

New on the map: United States of America, Thonburi Kingdom, Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic), Sikh Confederacy, Nepal, Tây Sơn dynasty, Chiangmai, Electorate of Saxony, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Kuwait, Pontianak Kadriyah Sultanate, Danish India, Bahrain.

Gone from the map: Dzungar Khanate, Afsharid Iran, Ayutthaya Kingdom, Nawabs of Bengal, First Toungoo Empire, Jesuit Reducciones, Kalmyk Khanate, Astrakhan Khanate, Zaporozhian Cossacks, Nguyễn lords, Sloboda Ukraine, Lan Na, Kingdom of Kakheti, Duchy of Lorraine, Kathmandu.

What comes next: 1789

Appear by 1789: Qajar Iran, Siam, Emirate of Bukhara, Vermont Republic, Freetown Colony, House of Khalifa.

Gone by 1789: Thonburi Kingdom, Khanate of Bukhara, Trịnh lords, Crimean Khanate, Gorkha Kingdom, Kingdom of Mrauk U, Haudenosaunee, English Colonial Empire, Bahrain.

Read the history of 1776

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the World in 1776?

The map data draws 127 states and other polities in the World in 1776. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, the Russian Empire, the Portuguese Empire, the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1776?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 20.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1776 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1776, 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 1776