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Historical map · 1789

Map of the World in 1789

In 1789, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 124 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 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: Saint-Domingue: The Richest Colony (1789)
FROM THE ATLAS · TWO ROADS TO INDEPENDENCE, CHAPTER 1: SAINT-DOMINGUE: THE RICHEST COLONY (1789)

States and empires in the World in 1789

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Spanish Empire Wikipedia23.1 million km²23.1 million km²1516–1931
Russian Empire Wikipedia16.2 million km²16.2 million km²1721–1916
Portuguese Empire Wikipedia15.9 million km²15.9 million km²1502–1910
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia11.3 million km²11.3 million km²1645–1911
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.9 million km²2.9 million km²1305–1923
British Empire Wikipedia2.8 million km²2.8 million km²1706–1999
Kazakh Khanate Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1468–1847
Durrani Empire Wikipedia1.8 million km²1.8 million km²1748–1827
Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia1.3 million km²1.3 million km²1459–1805
Tibet Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1363–1952
Maratha Empire Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1677–1845
Kingdom of France Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²990–1848
United States of America Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.1 million km²1776–2024
Dutch Republic Wikipedia970,000 km²970,000 km²1582–1795
Zand Dynasty Wikipedia901,000 km²901,000 km²1748–1793
Swedish Empire Wikipedia785,000 km²785,000 km²1612–1814
Konbaung Dynasty Wikipedia677,000 km²677,000 km²1741–1819
Funj Sultanate Wikipedia629,000 km²629,000 km²1507–1821
Qajar Iran Wikipedia579,000 km²579,000 km²1788–1923
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Wikipedia531,000 km²531,000 km²1572–1793
Denmark Wikipedia523,000 km²523,000 km²1046–1940
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia504,000 km²504,000 km²1516–2024
Morocco Wikipedia388,000 km²388,000 km²1670–2024
Mughal Empire Wikipedia365,000 km²365,000 km²1529–1858
Siam Wikipedia361,000 km²361,000 km²1783–1931
Holy Roman Empire Minor States Wikipedia355,000 km²355,000 km²922–1806
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
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia296,000 km²296,000 km²1609–1876
Wadai Empire Wikipedia281,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
Dutch Cape Colony Wikipedia279,000 km²279,000 km²1653–1795
Emirate of Diriyah Wikipedia275,000 km²275,000 km²1744–1819
Kingdom of Cambodia Wikipedia267,000 km²267,000 km²1540–2024
Emirate of Bukhara Wikipedia266,000 km²266,000 km²1788–1919
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

Also on the map: Khanates of the Caucasus, Hyderabad State, Vientiane, Nepal, Sultanate of Johor, Qasimids, Ashanti Empire, Tây Sơn dynasty, Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, Carnatic Sultanate, Sultanate of Oman, Kingdom of Lunda, Greenland, Kingdom of Portugal, Nawab of Awadh, Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic), Kingdom of Mysore, Oyo Empire, Khanate of Kokand, Karamanli Dynasty, Beylik of Tunis, New France, Kingdom of Sardinia, Sultanate of Palembang, Principality of Wallachia, Principality of Moldavia, Sultanate of Brunei, Sultanate of Sulu, Chiangmai, Sultanate of Banten, Sikh Confederacy, Duchy of Bavaria, Kingdom of Georgia, Sultanate of Malacca, 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, Vermont Republic, Duchy of Courland, Sultanate of Jambi, Sultanate of Perak, Bamana Empire, Sultanate of Terengganu, Thanjavur Maratha Kingdom, Republic of Genoa, Sultanate of Kedah, Sultanate of Selangor, Sultanate of Sukadana, Kingdom of Imereti, Sultanate of Bima, Principality of Abkhazia, French India, Dutch Gold Coast, Kelantan, Bali, Sultanate of Kutai Kartanegara, Negeri Sembilan, Sultanate of Sambas, Kuwait, Principality of Mingrelia, Yogyakarta Sultanate, Pontianak Kadriyah Sultanate, Principality of Guria, Surakarta Sunanate, Đại Việt, Freetown Colony, Sultanate of Mempawah, Principality of Svaneti, Danish India, Comtat Venaissin, Sultanate of Bone, House of Khalifa, Republic of Ragusa, 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 1776

New on the map: Qajar Iran, Siam, Emirate of Bukhara, Vermont Republic, Freetown Colony, House of Khalifa.

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

What comes next: 1800

Appear by 1800: French Consulate, Batavian Republic, British Cape Colony, Dutch East Indies, Merina Kingdom, Sikh Empire, French Louisiana, Helvetic Republic, Nguyễn dynasty, Haiti, British Ceylon, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, Cispadane Republic, Septinsular Republic, Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

Gone by 1800: Tibet, Kingdom of France, Dutch Republic, Zand Dynasty, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Dutch Cape Colony, Khanates of the Caucasus, Hyderabad State, Kingdom of Mysore, New France, Republic of Venice, Swiss Confederation, Dutch Ceylon, Vermont Republic, Duchy of Courland, Thanjavur Maratha Kingdom, Republic of Genoa, Freetown Colony, Comtat Venaissin, House of Khalifa.

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 the World in 1789?

The map data draws 124 states and other polities in the World in 1789. The largest by land were the Spanish Empire, the Russian Empire, the Portuguese Empire, the Qing Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire.

What was the largest empire in the world 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 the World 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.

World in other years

Other regions in 1789