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Historical map · 1871

Map of the World in 1871

In 1871, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 113 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the British Empire, the Russian Empire and the Qing Dynasty.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 1871. 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 1871 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1871
Atlas map: The Continent Follows (1870)
FROM THE ATLAS · THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, CHAPTER 7: THE CONTINENT FOLLOWS (1870)

States and empires in the World in 1871

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
British Empire Wikipedia22.3 million km²22.3 million km²1706–1999
Russian Empire Wikipedia21.6 million km²21.6 million km²1721–1916
Qing Dynasty Wikipedia8.8 million km²8.8 million km²1645–1911
Empire of Brazil Wikipedia8.5 million km²8.5 million km²1822–1889
United States of America Wikipedia8.1 million km²8.1 million km²1776–2024
British Raj Wikipedia4.2 million km²4.2 million km²1859–1947
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia2.1 million km²2.1 million km²1305–1923
Mexico2.0 million km²2.0 million km²1868–2024
Khedivate of Egypt Wikipedia1.8 million km²1.8 million km²1866–1884
French Third Republic Wikipedia1.8 million km²1.8 million km²1871–1939
Argentina Wikipedia1.7 million km²1.7 million km²1834–1929
Qajar Iran Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1788–1923
Spanish Empire Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1516–1931
Bolivia Wikipedia1.6 million km²1.6 million km²1825–2024
Republic of Peru Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.4 million km²1822–2024
Republic of Colombia Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²1866–2024
Venezuela Wikipedia939,000 km²939,000 km²1811–2024
Netherlands Wikipedia906,000 km²906,000 km²1811–2024
Ottoman Tripolitania Wikipedia896,000 km²896,000 km²1840–1911
Dutch East Indies Wikipedia832,000 km²832,000 km²1800–1949
Emirate of Nejd Wikipedia819,000 km²819,000 km²1824–1925
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway Wikipedia799,000 km²799,000 km²1815–1904
Sokoto Caliphate Wikipedia796,000 km²796,000 km²1805–1904
Emirate of Afghanistan Wikipedia666,000 km²666,000 km²1828–1925
British Cape Colony Wikipedia659,000 km²659,000 km²1796–1884
German Empire Wikipedia658,000 km²658,000 km²1871–1918
Austria-Hungary Wikipedia621,000 km²621,000 km²1868–1918
Siam Wikipedia609,000 km²609,000 km²1783–1931
French Africa Wikipedia528,000 km²528,000 km²1846–1957
Kingdom of Spain Wikipedia495,000 km²495,000 km²1516–2024
Empire of Japan Wikipedia461,000 km²461,000 km²1868–1946
Burma Wikipedia438,000 km²438,000 km²1820–2024
Merina Kingdom Wikipedia428,000 km²428,000 km²1792–1897
Morocco Wikipedia386,000 km²386,000 km²1670–2024
Khanate of Khiva Wikipedia384,000 km²384,000 km²1512–1919
United Kingdom Wikipedia344,000 km²344,000 km²1709–2024
Panthay Rebellion Wikipedia343,000 km²343,000 km²1856–1872
Republic of Chile Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²1812–2024
Sultanate of Darfur Wikipedia295,000 km²295,000 km²1609–1876
South African Republic Wikipedia295,000 km²295,000 km²1856–1899

Also on the map: Wadai Empire, Kingdom of Italy, Republic of Ecuador, Portuguese Empire, Ethiopian Empire, Nguyễn dynasty, Joseon, Bornu Empire, French Indochina, Kingdom of Portugal, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Kashmir and Jammu, Denmark, Ashanti Empire, Surinam (Dutch colony), Nepal, Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, Orange Free State, Romania, Sultanate of Oman, Honduras, Republic of Nicaragua, Kingdom of Lunda, Guatemala, Greenland, Republic of Liberia, Imamate of Yemen, Majeerteen Sultanate, Beylik of Tunis, Emirate of Jabal Shammar, Kingdom of Sarawak, Trucial States, Khanate of Kokand, Sultanate of Sulu, Chiangmai, Republic of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Talpur Dynasty, Greece, Sultanate of Aceh, Serbia, Swiss Confederation, Pahang, Bhutan, Colony of Natal (British), Kingdom of Champasak, Haiti, Kingdom of Belgium, Sultanate of Zanzibar, Sultanate of Jambi, Zululand, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, Sultanate of Perak, Republic of El Salvador, Sultanate of Brunei, Kingdom of Fiji, Sultanate of Johor, Dutch Gold Coast, Sultanate of Terengganu, Qatar, Sultanate of Selangor, Sultanate of Kedah, Kelantan, Sultanate of Bima, Montenegro, Negeri Sembilan, Kuwait, Bali, Luxembourg, Kedah-Perlis District, German Africa, House of Khalifa, Principality of Andorra.

"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 1850

New on the map: 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 from the map: 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.

What comes next: 1880

Appear by 1880: Paraguay, Sultanate of Hobyo, Principality of Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, British Gold Coast.

Gone by 1880: Khanate of Khiva, Panthay Rebellion, Sultanate of Darfur, South African Republic, Imamate of Yemen, Khanate of Kokand, Sultanate of Sulu, Serbia, Sultanate of Perak, Kingdom of Fiji, Dutch Gold Coast, Sultanate of Selangor, Kuwait.

Read the history of 1871

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 1871?

The map data draws 113 states and other polities in the World in 1871. The largest by land were the British Empire, the Russian Empire, the Qing Dynasty, the Empire of Brazil and the United States of America.

What was the largest empire in the world in 1871?

Of the states on this map, the British Empire held the most land in total: about 22.3 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 1871 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1871, 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 1871