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Historical map · 1850

Map of the World in 1850

In 1850, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 141 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Russian Empire, the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1850. 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 1850 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1850
Atlas map: The Railway Age (1850)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 4: THE RAILWAY AGE (1850)

States and empires in the World in 1850

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Russian Empire Wikipedia20.9 million km²20.9 million km²1721–1916
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia12.1 million km²12.1 million km²1645–1911
British Empire Wikipedia11.8 million km²11.8 million km²1706–1999
Empire of Brazil Wikipedia7.8 million km²7.8 million km²1822–1889
United States of America Wikipedia3.5 million km²3.5 million km²1776–2024
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1305–1923
United Mexican States (federal republic) Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1824–1865
Muhammad Ali dynasty Wikipedia1.8 million km²1.8 million km²1805–1865
Bolivia Wikipedia1.8 million km²1.8 million km²1825–2024
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
French Second Republic Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1848–1852
Spanish Empire Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1516–1931
Argentina Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1834–1929
Republic of New Granada Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.4 million km²1834–1858
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.4 million km²1822–2024
Venezuela Wikipedia939,000 km²939,000 km²1811–2024
Ottoman Tripolitania Wikipedia896,000 km²896,000 km²1840–1911
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia847,000 km²847,000 km²1512–1919
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway Wikipedia799,000 km²799,000 km²1815–1904
Sokoto Caliphate Wikipedia796,000 km²796,000 km²1805–1904
British Cape Colony Wikipedia761,000 km²761,000 km²1796–1884
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia666,000 km²666,000 km²1828–1925
Siam Wikipedia609,000 km²609,000 km²1783–1931
Netherlands Wikipedia587,000 km²587,000 km²1811–2024
Burma Wikipedia554,000 km²554,000 km²1820–2024
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia533,000 km²533,000 km²1824–1925
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia506,000 km²506,000 km²1800–1949
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia495,000 km²495,000 km²1516–2024
Khanate of Kokand Wikipedia475,000 km²475,000 km²1709–1876
Merina Kingdom Wikipedia428,000 km²428,000 km²1792–1897
Austrian Empire Wikipedia422,000 km²422,000 km²1806–1867
Morocco Wikipedia388,000 km²388,000 km²1670–2024
United Kingdom Wikipedia348,000 km²348,000 km²1709–2024
Tokugawa Shogunate Wikipedia329,000 km²329,000 km²1600–1869
Paraguay Wikipedia323,000 km²323,000 km²1811–2024
Republic of Chile Wikipedia305,000 km²305,000 km²1812–2024
Nguyễn dynasty Wikipedia302,000 km²302,000 km²1791–1884
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia295,000 km²295,000 km²1609–1876
Wadai Empire Wikipedia281,000 km²281,000 km²1636–1910
German Confederation Wikipedia281,000 km²281,000 km²1815–1867

Also on the map: Kingdom of Hungary (Austrian rule), Emirate of Bukhara, Republic of Ecuador, Portuguese Empire, Ethiopian Empire, Mughal Empire, French Africa, Joseon, Bornu Empire, Kingdom of Portugal, Omani East Africa (Swahili coast), Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Sultanate of Oman, Kashmir and Jammu, Denmark, Ashanti Empire, Surinam (Dutch colony), Nepal, Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, Kingdom of Cambodia, Kingdom of Lunda, Republic of Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Massina Empire, Riau-Lingga Sultanate, Greenland, Republic of Liberia, Imamate of Yemen, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Beylik of Tunis, Kingdom of Sardinia, Trucial States, Kingdom of Bavaria, Sultanate of Sulu, Chiangmai, Sultanate of Johor, Republic of Costa Rica, Sultanate of Brunei, Dominican Republic, Talpur Dynasty, Greece, Sultanate of Aceh, Serbia, Swiss Confederation, Bhutan, Sultanate of Malacca, Sultanate of Banjar, Papal States, Kingdom of Hanover, Kingdom of Champasak, Colony of Natal (British), Caucasian Imamate, Haiti, Kingdom of Belgium, Sultanate of Jambi, Zululand, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, Qatar, Sultanate of Perak, Republic of El Salvador, Duchy of Holstein, Kingdom of Saxony, Grand Duchy of Baden, Kingdom of Württemberg, Sultanate of Terengganu, Electorate of Hesse, Sultanate of Selangor, Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg, Grand Duchy of Hesse, Sultanate of Bima, Sultanate of Kedah, Dutch Gold Coast, Kelantan, Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, Duchy of Modena and Reggio, Negeri Sembilan, Duchy of Nassau, Kuwait, Kingdom of Sarawak, Duchy of Brunswick, Duchy of Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Bali, Saxe-Meiningen, Free City of Lübeck, Principality of Reuss-Gera, Kedah-Perlis District, Sultanate of Bone, Duchy of Anhalt, Saxe-Altenburg, Free City of Hamburg, Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sonderhausen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, House of Khalifa, Principality of Lippe, Danish Gold Coast, Free City of Bremen, Principality of Andorra, Sultanate of Maguindanao.

"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 1830

New on the map: French Second Republic, Argentina, Republic of New Granada, Venezuela, Ottoman Tripolitania, Kingdom of Hungary (Austrian rule), Republic of Ecuador, French Africa, Kashmir and Jammu, Republic of Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Republic of Liberia, Republic of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Kingdom of Hanover, Colony of Natal (British), Republic of El Salvador, Duchy of Holstein, Sultanate of Kedah, Kingdom of Sarawak, Kedah-Perlis District.

Gone from the map: Gran Colombia, Kazakh Khanate, Río de la Plata, Kingdom of France (July Monarchy), United Provinces of Central America, Sikh Empire, Regency of Algiers, Polish insurgents (November Uprising), Maratha Empire, Karamanli Dynasty, Oyo Empire, Sultanate of Sambaliung, Sultanate of Sukadana, French India, Sultanate of Kutai Kartanegara, French Algeria, Đại Việt, Principality of Svaneti, Free City of Krakow, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Kingdom of Prussia.

What comes next: 1871

Appear by 1871: British Raj, Mexico, Khedivate of Egypt, French Third Republic, Republic of Colombia, German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Empire of Japan, Panthay Rebellion, South African Republic, Kingdom of Italy, French Indochina, Orange Free State, Romania, Majeerteen Sultanate, Emirate of Jabal Shammar, Pahang, Sultanate of Zanzibar, Kingdom of Fiji, Montenegro, Luxembourg, German Africa.

Gone by 1871: United Mexican States (federal republic), Muhammad Ali dynasty, French Second Republic, Republic of New Granada, Austrian Empire, Tokugawa Shogunate, Paraguay, German Confederation, Kingdom of Hungary (Austrian rule), Emirate of Bukhara, Mughal Empire, Omani East Africa (Swahili coast), Kingdom of Cambodia, Massina Empire, Riau-Lingga Sultanate, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Kingdom of Sardinia, Kingdom of Bavaria, Sultanate of Malacca, Sultanate of Banjar, Papal States, Kingdom of Hanover, Caucasian Imamate, Duchy of Holstein, Kingdom of Saxony, Grand Duchy of Baden, Kingdom of Württemberg, Electorate of Hesse, Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg, Grand Duchy of Hesse and others.

Read the history of 1850

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 1850?

The map data draws 141 states and other polities in the World in 1850. The largest by land were the Russian Empire, the Qing Dynasty, the British Empire, the Empire of Brazil and the United States of America.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1850?

Of the states on this map, the Russian Empire held the most land in total: about 20.9 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1850 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1850, 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 1850