List of largest empires

The following is a list of the largest empires in world history. Rein Taagepera has defined an empire as "any relatively large sovereign political entity whose components are not sovereign" and its size as the area over which the empire has some undisputed military and taxation prerogatives,[1] and these are the definitions used by this list. Zbigniew Brzezinski has argued that "The very notion of a globally dominant power is a recent historical development".[2]

Largest empires by land area

The total land area of the Earth is 148,940,000 km2 (57,506,000 sq mi),[3] and there have been more than 50 empires whose greatest extent exceeded 2% of that area, of which only three exceeded 10% – the British, Mongol, and Russian empires.

Empires at their greatest extent

Empire size in this list is defined as the dry land area it controls.

Empire Maximum land area
million km2 million mi2 % of world Year
British Empire 35.5[4] 13.71 23.84% 1920[4]
Mongol Empire 24.0[4][5] 9.27 16.11% 1270[5] or 1309[4]
Russian Empire[lower-alpha 1] 22.8[4][5] 8.80 15.31% 1895[4][5]
Qing dynasty 14.7[4][5] 5.68 9.87% 1790[4][5]
Spanish Empire 13.7[4] 5.29 9.20% 1810[4]
Second French colonial empire 11.5[4] 4.44 7.72% 1920[4]
Abbasid Caliphate 11.1[4][5] 4.29 7.45% 750[4][5]
Umayyad Caliphate 11.1[4] 4.29 7.45% 720[4]
Yuan dynasty 11.0[4] 4.25 7.39% 1310[4]
Second Portuguese Empire 10.4[2] 4.02 6.98% 1815[2]
Xiongnu Empire 9.0[5][6] 3.47 6.04% 176 BC[5][6]
Empire of Japan 8.51 3.285[7] 5.71% 1942[7]
Brazilian Empire 8.337[8] 3.22 5.60% 1889[8]
Eastern Han dynasty 6.5[6] 2.51 4.36% 100[6]
Ming dynasty 6.5[4][5] 2.51 4.36% 1450[4][5]
Rashidun Caliphate 6.4[4] 2.47 4.30% 655[4]
Göktürk Khaganate 6.0[5][6] 2.32 4.03% 557[5][6]
Golden Horde Khanate 6.0[4][5] 2.32 4.03% 1310[4][5]
Western Han dynasty 6.0[5][6] 2.32 4.03% 50 BC[5][6]
Achaemenid Empire 5.5[5][6] 2.12 3.69% 500 BC[5][6]
Tang dynasty 5.4[4][5] 2.08 3.63% 715[4][5]
Macedonian Empire 5.2[5][6] 2.01 3.49% 323 BC[5][6]
Ottoman Empire 5.2[4][5] 2.01 3.49% 1683[4][5]
Maurya Empire 5.0[5] 1.93 3.36% 250 BC[5]
Roman Empire 5.0[5][6] 1.93 3.36% 117[5][6]
Tibetan Empire 4.6[4][5] 1.78 3.09% 800[4][5]
Timurid Empire 4.4[4][5] 1.70 2.95% 1405[4][5]
Fatimid Caliphate 4.1[4][5] 1.58 2.75% 969[4][5]
Eastern Turkic Khaganate 4.0[6] 1.54 2.69% 624[6]
Hephthalite Empire 4.0[6] 1.54 2.69% 470[6]
Hunnic Empire 4.0[5][6] 1.54 2.69% 441[5][6]
Mughal Empire 4.0[4][5] 1.54 2.69% 1690[4][5]
Great Seljuq Empire 3.9[4][5] 1.51 2.62% 1080[4][5]
Seleucid Empire 3.9[5][6] 1.51 2.62% 301 BC[5][6]
Italian Empire 3.798[9] 1.47 2.55% 1938[9]
Ilkhanate 3.75[4][5] 1.45 2.52% 1310[4][5]
Khwarazmian Empire 3.6[4] 1.39 2.42% 1218[4]
Chagatai Khanate 3.5[4][5] 1.35 2.35% 1310[4] or 1350[4][5]
Gupta Empire 3.5[5] 1.35 2.35% 400[5]
Sasanian Empire 3.5[5][6] 1.35 2.35% 550[5][6]
Western Turkic Khaganate 3.5[6] 1.35 2.35% 630[6]
Western Xiongnu 3.5[6] 1.35 2.35% 20[6]
First French colonial empire 3.4[4] 1.31 2.28% 1670[4]
Ghaznavid Empire 3.4[4][5] 1.31 2.28% 1029[4][5]
Delhi Sultanate (Tughlaq dynasty) 3.2[4][5] 1.24 2.15% 1312[4][5]
German colonial empire 3.199[10][11] 1.24 2.15% 1912[11]
Song dynasty 3.1[4][5] 1.20 2.08% 980[4][5]
Uyghur Khaganate 3.1[4][5] 1.20 2.08% 800[4][5]
Western Jin dynasty 3.1[6] 1.20 2.08% 280[6]
Khazar Khanate 3.0[5] 1.16 2.01% 850[5]
Sui dynasty 3.0[6] 1.16 2.01% 589[6]
Samanid Empire 2.85[4][5] 1.10 1.91% 928[4][5]
Byzantine Empire 2.8[6] 1.08 1.88% 450[6]
Eastern Jin dynasty 2.8[6] 1.08 1.88% 347[6]
Median Empire 2.8[5][6] 1.08 1.88% 585 BC[5][6]
Parthian Empire 2.8[5][6] 1.08 1.88% 0[5][6]
Rouran Khaganate 2.8[5][6] 1.08 1.88% 405[5][6]
Indo-Scythian Kingdom 2.6[6] 1.00 1.75% 20[6]
Liao dynasty 2.6[4][5] 1.00 1.75% 947[4][5]
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom 2.5[6] 0.97 1.68% 184 BC[6]
Kushan Empire 2.5[6] 0.97 1.68% 200[6]
Later Zhao 2.5[6] 0.97 1.68% 329[6]
Maratha Empire 2.5[5] 0.97 1.68% 1760[5]
Almohad Caliphate 2.3[4] 0.89 1.54% 1150[4]
Jin dynasty (1115–1234) 2.3[4][5] 0.89 1.54% 1126[4][5]
Qin dynasty 2.3[6] 0.89 1.54% 220 BC[6]
First French Empire 2.1[4] 0.81 1.41% 1813[4]
Kievan Rus' 2.1[4][5] 0.81 1.41% 1000[4][5]
Mamluk Sultanate 2.1[4][5] 0.81 1.41% 1300[4] or 1400[5]
Third Portuguese Empire 2.1[4] 0.81 1.41% 1900[4]
Cao Wei 2.0[6] 0.77 1.34% 263[6]
Former Qin 2.0[6] 0.77 1.34% 376[6]
Former Zhao 2.0[6] 0.77 1.34% 316[6]
Inca Empire 2.0[4][5] 0.77 1.34% 1527[4][5]
Liu Song dynasty 2.0[6] 0.77 1.34% 450[6]
Northern Wei 2.0[6] 0.77 1.34% 450[6]
Buyid dynasty 1.6[4][5] 0.62 1.07% 980[4][5]
Eastern Wu 1.5[6] 0.58 1.01% 221[6]
Northern Qi 1.5[6] 0.58 1.01% 557[6]
Northern Xiongnu 1.5[6] 0.58 1.01% 60[6]
Northern Zhou 1.5[6] 0.58 1.01% 577[6]
Assyria 1.4[5][12] 0.54 0.94% 670 BC[5][12]
Eastern Maurya Empire 1.3[6] 0.50 0.87% 210 BC[6]
Liang dynasty 1.3[5][6] 0.50 0.87% 502,[6] 549,[6] or 579[5]
Kingdom of Aksum 1.25[5] 0.48 0.84% 350[5]
Shang dynasty 1.25[5][12] 0.48 0.84% 1122 BC[5][12]
Francia 1.2[4][5] 0.46 0.81% 814[4][5]
Srivijaya 1.2[5] 0.46 0.81% 1200[5]
Indo-Greek Kingdom 1.1[6] 0.42 0.74% 150 BC[6]
Mali Empire 1.1[4][5] 0.42 0.74% 1380[4][5]
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1.1[4][5] 0.42 0.74% 1480[5] or 1650[4]
Almoravid dynasty 1.0[5] 0.39 0.67% 1120[5]
Empire of Harsha 1.0[4][5] 0.39 0.67% 625[4] or 648[4][5]
Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty 1.0[4] 0.39 0.67% 860[4]
Holy Roman Empire 1.0[4] 0.39 0.67% 1050[4]
Khmer Empire 1.0[4][5] 0.39 0.67% 1290[4][5]
New Kingdom of Egypt 1.0[5][12] 0.39 0.67% 1450 BC[12] or 1300 BC[5]
Ptolemaic Kingdom 1.0[6] 0.39 0.67% 301 BC[6]
Shu Han 1.0[6] 0.39 0.67% 221[6]
Tahirid dynasty 1.0[4] 0.39 0.67% 800[4]
Western Xia 1.0[5] 0.39 0.67% 1100[5]
Akkadian Empire 0.8[12] 0.31 0.54% 2250 BC[12]
Avar Khaganate 0.8[6] 0.31 0.54% 600[6]
Chu (state) 0.8[6] 0.31 0.54% 300 BC[6]
First Portuguese Empire 0.8[4] 0.31 0.54% 1580[4]
Huns 0.8[6] 0.31 0.54% 287[6]
Songhai Empire 0.8[4] 0.31 0.54% 1550[4]
Hyksos 0.65[12] 0.25 0.44% 1650 BC[12]
Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt 0.65[12] 0.25 0.44% 550 BC[12]
Caliphate of Córdoba 0.6[4] 0.23 0.40% 1000[4]
Visigothic Kingdom 0.6[6] 0.23 0.40% 580[6]
Kosala 0.5[6] 0.19 0.34% 543 BC[6]
Lydia 0.5[12] 0.19 0.34% 585 BC[12]
Magadha 0.5[6] 0.19 0.34% 510 BC[6]
Middle Kingdom of Egypt 0.5[12] 0.19 0.34% 1850 BC[12]
Neo-Babylonian Empire 0.5[12] 0.19 0.34% 562 BC[12]
Satavahana dynasty 0.5[6] 0.19 0.34% 150[6]
Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt 0.5[12] 0.19 0.34% 715 BC[12]
Western Satraps 0.5[6] 0.19 0.34% 100[6]
New Hittite Kingdom 0.45[12] 0.17 0.30% 1250 BC–1220 BC[12]
Xia dynasty 0.45[12] 0.17 0.30% 1800 BC[12]
Middle Assyrian Empire 0.4[12] 0.15 0.27% 1080 BC[12]
Old Kingdom of Egypt 0.4[12] 0.15 0.27% 2400 BC[12]
Ancient Carthage 0.3[6] 0.12 0.20% 220 BC[6]
Mitanni 0.3[12] 0.12 0.20% 1450 BC–1375 BC[12]
First Babylonian Empire 0.25[12] 0.10 0.17% 1690 BC[12]
Aztec Empire 0.22[4] 0.08 0.15% 1520[4]
Elamite Empire 0.2[12] 0.08 0.13% 1160 BC[12]
Phrygia 0.2[12] 0.08 0.13% 750 BC[12]
Second Dynasty of Isin 0.2[12] 0.08 0.13% 1130 BC[12]
Urartu 0.2[12] 0.08 0.13% 800 BC[12]
Middle Hittite Kingdom 0.15[12] 0.06 0.10% 1450 BC[12]
Old Assyrian Empire 0.15[12] 0.06 0.10% 1730 BC[12]
Old Hittite Empire 0.15[12] 0.06 0.10% 1530 BC[12]
Ashanti Empire 0.1[13] 0.04 0.07% 1872[13]
Larsa 0.1[12] 0.04 0.07% 1750 BC–1700 BC[12]
Neo-Sumerian Empire 0.1[12] 0.04 0.07% 2000 BC[12]
Sumer 0.05[12] 0.02 0.03% 2400 BC[12]
  1. ↑ Its successor state the USSR and its successor in turn, Russia, reached maximum extents of 22.3 million km2 in 1945 and 17.1 million km2 in 1991, respectively.[4]

Timeline of largest empires to date

The earliest empire which can with certainty be stated to have been larger than all previous empires was that of Upper and Lower Egypt, which tenfolded the area of the previous largest civilisation.[14]

Empire Land area (million km2) Year
Upper and Lower Egypt 0.1[12] 3000 BC[12]
Old Kingdom of Egypt 0.25[12] 2850 BC[12]
0.4[12] 2400 BC[12]
Akkadian Empire 0.65[12] 2300 BC[12]
0.8[12] 2250 BC[12]
New Kingdom of Egypt 1.0[12] 1450 BC[12]
Shang dynasty 1.25[12] 1122 BC[12]
Assyria 1.4[12] 670 BC[12]
Median Empire 2.8[6] 585 BC[6]
Achaemenid Empire 3.6[6] 539 BC[6]
5.5[6] 500 BC[6]
Xiongnu Empire 9.0[6] 176 BC[6]
Umayyad Caliphate 11.1[4] 720[4]
Mongol Empire 13.5[4] 1227[4]
24.0[4] 1309[4]
British Empire 24.5[4] 1880[4]
35.5[4] 1920[4]

See also

General

By era

By region

By size

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Taagepera, Rein (1979). "Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.". Social Science History. 3 (3/4): 117. doi:10.2307/1170959. JSTOR 1170959.
  2. 1 2 3 Brzezinski, Zbigniew (2012). Strategic vision : America and the crisis of global power (PDF). New York: Basic Books. ISBN 9780465029556. OCLC 787847809.
  3. ↑ "The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 Rein Taagepera (September 1997). "Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia". International Studies Quarterly. 41 (3): 492–502. doi:10.1111/0020-8833.00053. JSTOR 2600793.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D. (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires". Journal of world-systems research. 12 (2): 222–223. ISSN 1076-156X. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 Taagepera, Rein (1979). "Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.". Social Science History. 3 (3/4): 121–122, 124–129, 132–133. doi:10.2307/1170959. JSTOR 1170959.
  7. 1 2 James, David H. (2010-11-01). The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire. Routledge. ISBN 9781136925467.
  8. 1 2 "Área Territorial Brasileira". www.ibge.gov.br (in Portuguese). Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Retrieved 16 October 2016. A primeira estimativa oficial para a extensão superficial do território brasileiro data de 1889. O valor de 8.337.218 km2 foi obtido a partir de medições e cálculos efetuados sobre as folhas básicas da Carta do Império do Brasil, publicada em 1883. [The first official estimate of the surface area of the Brazilian territory dates from 1889. A value of 8,337,218 km2 was obtained from measurements and calculations made on drafts of the Map of the Empire of Brazil, published in 1883.]
  9. 1 2 Harrison, Mark (2000). The Economics of World War II: Six Great Powers in International Comparison. Cambridge University Press. p. 3. ISBN 9780521785037. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Encyclopædia Britannica: Germany from 1871 to 1918". Retrieved 29 September 2016. At its birth Germany occupied an area of 208,825 square miles (540,854 square km) and had a population of more than 41 million, which was to grow to 67 million by 1914.
  11. 1 2 "Statistische Angaben zu den deutschen Kolonien". www.dhm.de (in German). Deutsches Historisches Museum. Retrieved 29 September 2016. Sofern nicht anders vermerkt, beziehen sich alle Angaben auf das Jahr 1912. [Except where otherwise noted, all figures relate to the year 1912.]
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 Taagepera, Rein (1978). "Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 3000 to 600 B.C." Social Science Research. 7 (2): 182–189. doi:10.1016/0049-089x(78)90010-8. ISSN 0049-089X.
  13. 1 2 Obeng, J. Pashington: "Asante Catholicism: Religious and Cultural Reproduction Among the Akan of Ghana", p. 20. BRILL, 1996
  14. ↑ Taagepera, Rein (1997). "Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia". International Studies Quarterly. 41 (3): 480. doi:10.1111/0020-8833.00053. ISSN 0020-8833.
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