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List of largest empires
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of the largest empires in world history.
Contents |
An empire is a state that extends dominion over areas and populations distinct culturally and ethnically from the culture/ethnicity at the center of power.
Empires are all individual in character, having been formed in widely different times under widely different political structures. In fact, the term Empire as stated above does not imply any particular form of government. Whether or not a nation is or was called an empire is also not relevant to whether it is considered an empire for the purposes of this article.
The calculation of the land area of a particular empire is controversial. In particular, there is the question of whether a particular empire can be considered to have laid claim to an area that is sparsely populated, or not populated at all. In general, this list errs on the side of including any land area that was explored and explicitly claimed, even if the areas were very sparsely populated or unpopulated. For example, a large portion of Northern Siberia is not included in the size of the Mongol Empire. The Mongol Empire's northern border was somewhat ill-defined, but in most places it was simply the natural border between the steppe and the taiga. Occupied areas north of this are included in the area of the empire, but at the time the majority of the taiga and tundra were unexplored and uninhabited. This area was only very sparsely populated by the Russian Empire, but it had been explicitly claimed by the Russian Empire by the 1600s, and its extent had been entirely explored by the late 1800s. Similarly, the northernmost Canadian islands such as Ellesmere Island were explored and claimed by the British Empire by the mid 1800s (virtually the entire mainland was at least sparsely populated well before that). No claims on mainland Antarctica are included in the area of any of the empires.
Due to the historical trend of increasing population and GDP, the list of largest empires in these categories is highly dependent on which relatively recent political entities are defined as empires. For instance, if modern China were considered an empire, then it would be considered the largest empire in world history by both the measure of population size and GDP size if compared to the empires on the list. The measures of population and GDP as a percentage of the world total take into account this historical growth, although accurate worldwide GDP data is only available for the last few centuries.
- British Empire - 36.6 million km²[1] (under King George V in 1921) (excludes Antarctic territorial claims)
- Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km²[1] (under Khublai Khan in 1279) (excludes Northern Siberia)
- Russian Empire - 22.8 million km²[2][3]) (under Nicholas II in 1895)
- Spanish Empire - 19 million km²[1] (under King Charles III)
- Arab Empire - 13.2 million km²[1] (under the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I)
- French Empire - 12.9 million km²[1]
- Qing Empire - 12 million km²[4] (under Emperor Qianlong)
- Portuguese Empire - 10.4 million km²[1]
- American Empire - 10 million km² [5] (1898-1902 and 1906-1908)
- Achaemenid Persian Empire - 7.5 million km²[6] (under Darius the Great)
- Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km²[1] (during World War II)
- Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²[2]
- Han Empire - 6 million km²[2]
- Ottoman Empire - 5.6 million km²[1]
- Roman Empire - 5.6 million km²[1] (under Emperor Trajan)
- Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²[2] (under Emperor Xuanzong of Tang)
- Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km²[1] (under Alexander the Great)
- Maurya Empire - 5 million km²[2] (under Ashoka the Great)
- Mexican Empire - 4.7 million km²[1]
- Timurid Empire - 4.4 million km²[2]
- Mughal Empire - 4 million km²[2] (under Aurangzeb)
- Hunnic Empire - 4 million km²[2] (under Attila the Hun)
- Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²[2]
- Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²[1]
- Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
- Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²[1]
- Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km²[1] (during World War II)
- Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km²[2] (under Chandragupta II)
- Sassanid Persian Empire - 3.5 million km²[2] (under Khosrau I)
- Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²[2]
- Pala Empire - 3.2 million km²[7] (under Devapala)
- Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²[2]
- Khazar Empire - 3 million km²[2]
- Median Empire - 2.8 million km²[2]
- Byzantine Empire - 2.7 million km²[2]
- Chola Empire - 2.6 million km²[8] (under Rajendra Chola I)
- Belgian Empire - 2.5 million km²[2]
- Inca Empire - 2 million km²[2]
- Majapahit Empire - 1.5 million km²[9]
- Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²[2]
- Aksumite Empire - 1.3 million km²[2]
- Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²[2]
- Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²[2]
- Harsha Empire - 1 million km²[2] (under Harsha Vardhana)
- Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²[2]
- Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²[2]
- Khmer Empire - 1 million km²[2]
- Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²[10]
- Nanda Empire - 600,000 km²[11]
- Austro-Hungarian Empire - 600,000 km²[12]
- Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²[10]
- Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²[13]
- Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km² (under Khublai Khan in 1279)
- Russian Empire - 22.8 million km² (under Alexander II in 1867)
- Arab Empire - 13.2 million km² (under the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I)
- French Empire - 12,9 million km²[1]
- Qing Empire - 12 million km² (under Emperor Qianlong)
- Achaemenid Persian Empire - 7.5 million km² (under Darius the Great)
- Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²
- Han Empire - 6 million km²
- Ottoman Empire - 5.6 million km²
- Roman Empire - 5.6 million km² (under Emperor Trajan)
- Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²
- Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km² (under Alexander the Great)
- Maurya Empire - 5 million km² (under Ashoka the Great)
- Mughal Empire - 4 million km² (under Aurangzeb)
- Hunnic Empire - 4 million km² (under Attila the Hun)
- Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²
- Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²
- Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km² (during World War II)
- Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Chandragupta II)
- Sassanid Persian Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Khosrau I)
- Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²
- Pala Empire - 3.2 million km² (under Devapala)
- Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²
- Khazar Empire - 3 million km²
- Median Empire - 2.8 million km²
- Byzantine Empire - 2.7 million km²
- Inca Empire - 2 million km²
- Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²
- Aksumite Empire - 1.3 million km²
- Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²
- Harsha Empire - 1 million km² (under Harsha Vardhana)
- Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²
- Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²
- Khmer Empire - 1 million km²
- Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²
- Nanda Empire - 600,000 km²
- Austro-Hungarian Empire - 600,000 km²
- Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²
- Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²
- British Empire - 36.6 million km² (under King George V in 1921)
- Spanish Empire - 19 million km² (under King Phillip II)
- French Empire - 12,9 million km²
- Portuguese Empire - 10.4 million km²
- American Empire - 10 million km² (1898-1902 and 1906-1908)
- Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km² (during World War II)
- Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
- Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²
- Chola Empire - 2.6 million km² (under Rajendra Chola I)
- Belgian Empire - 2.5 million km²
- Majapahit Empire - 1.5 million km²
- Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²
- Achaemenid Persian Empire - 7.5 million km² (under Darius the Great)
- Han Empire - 6 million km²
- Roman Empire - 5.6 million km² (under Emperor Trajan)
- Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km² (under Alexander the Great)
- Maurya Empire - 5 million km² (under Ashoka the Great)
- Hunnic Empire - 4 million km² (under Attila the Hun)
- Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²
- Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Chandragupta II)
- Sassanid Persian Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Khosrau I)
- Median Empire - 2.8 million km²
- Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²
- Aksumite Empire - 1.3 million km²
- Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²
- Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²
- Nanda Empire - 600,000 km²
- Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²
- Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km² (under Khublai Khan in 1279)
- Arab Empire - 13.2 million km² (under the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I)
- Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²
- Ottoman Empire - 5.6 million km²
- Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²
- Mughal Empire - 4 million km² (under Aurangzeb)
- Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²
- Sassanid Persian Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Khosrau I)
- Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²
- Pala Empire - 3.2 million km² (under Devapala)
- Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²
- Khazar Empire - 3 million km²
- Byzantine Empire - 2.7 million km²
- Chola Empire - 2.6 million km² (under Rajendra Chola I in 1030)
- Inca Empire - 2 million km²
- Majapahit Empire - 1.5 million km²
- Aksumite/Ethiopian Empire - 1.3 million km²
- Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²
- Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²
- Mali Empire - 1.1 million km²
- Harsha Empire - 1 million km² (under Harsha Vardhana)
- Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²
- Khmer Empire - 1 million km²
- Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²
- British Empire - 36.6 million km² (under King George V in 1921)
- Russian Empire - 22.8 million km² (under Alexander II in 1867)
- Spanish Empire - 19 million km² (under Charles III)
- Qing Empire - 12 million km² (under Emperor Qianlong)
- French Empire - 12,9 million km²
- Portuguese Empire - 10.4 million km²
- American Empire - 10 million km² (1898-1902 and 1906-1908)
- Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km² (during World War II)
- Ottoman Empire - 5.6 million km²
- Mughal Empire - 4 million km²
- Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
- Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²
- Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km² (during World War II)
- Belgian Empire - 2.5 million km²
- Austro-Hungarian Empire - 600,000 km²
Legend
Current territory · Former territory
* now a Commonwealth Realm · now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations
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1 Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia. |
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3 Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand. |
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7 Dependencies of St. Helena since 1922 (Ascension Island) and 1938 (Tristan da Cunha). |
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Wituland · German East Africa (Tanganyika • Rwanda • Burundi) · German South-West Africa (Namibia) · German West Africa (Kamerun • Togoland) |
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German Samoa · German New Guinea (German Solomon Islands • German Marshall Islands) · Caroline Islands · Mariana Islands · Nauru · Palau |
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Unrecognized |
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| 1 Part of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1753. 2 Part of Portuguese Guinea from 1879. | ||
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1 1975 is the date of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, the independence of East Timor was recognized by Portugal and the rest of the world. |
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| Russian/Soviet territorial dominions |
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Metropolitan power:  Russian Empire - Soviet Union  |
| Monarchies in personal union with imperial Russia: Kingdom of Congress Poland (1815-1831) | Grand Duchy of Finland (1809-1917)
Concession territories: Russian: Kwantung Leased Territory & Chinese Eastern Railway Zone in China | Soviet: Hanko & later Porkkala (Baltic Sea peninsulas in Finland) | Russian imperial protectorate: Manchuria Soviet occupation zones in partitioned countries after World war II: Germany Soviet Zone & Berlin Soviet Zone | Austria Soviet Zone - Vienna Soviet Zone) |
Population estimates are unknown for many other ancient empires not listed here.
- British Empire - 531.3 million (in 1938)[14]
- Qing Empire - 432 million (in 1912)[15]
- Mughal Empire - 175 million (in 1700)[16]
- Ming Empire - 160 million (in 1600)[15]
- Russian Empire - 176.4 million (in 1913)[12]
- American Empire - 146.4 million (in 1942)[14]
- Japanese Empire - 134.8 million (in 1938)[14]
- French Empire - 112.9 million (in 1938)[14]
- Mongol Empire - 110 million (in the 13th century)[17]
- Nazi German Empire - 75.4 million (in 1938)[14]
- Roman Empire - 65 million (in the 1st century CE)[18]
- Spanish Empire - 64.2 million[19]
- Arab Empire - 62 million (in the 7th century)[20]
- Song Empire - 59 million (in 1000)[15]
- Han Empire - 57.5 million (in 2 CE)[21]
- Italian Empire - 51.9 million (in 1938)[14]
- Austro-Hungarian Empire - 50.6 million (in 1913)[12]
- Maurya Empire - 50 million (in the 2nd century BCE)[22]
- Persian Empire - 42 million (in the 4th century BCE)[16]
- Ottoman Empire - 39 million (in the 17th century)[23]
- Belgian Empire - 35.3 million (before Congolese independence, 1960)
- Byzantine Empire - 34 million (5th-6th centuries)[24]
- Vijayanagara Empire - 25 million (in the 16th century)[13]
- Portuguese Empire - 14.7 million (in 1913)[12]
- Qing Empire - 36.6% (381 million out of 1041 million in 1820)[15]
- Maurya Empire - 33.3% (50 million out of 150 million[25] in the 2nd century BCE)
- Mughal Empire - 29.2% (175 million out of 600 million[26] in 1700)
- Ming Empire - 28.8% (160 million out of 556.2 million in 1600)[15]
- Roman Empire - 28.4% (65 million out of 226 million[15] in the 1st century CE)
- Han Empire - 26.2% (59 million out of 226 million[15] in 2 CE)