List of largest empires

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An empire involves the extension of a state's sovereignty over external territories and variety of different ethnic groups. The term "empire" does not have a precise definition, but is generally applied to political entities that are considered to be especially large by the standards of their time and that have acquired a significant part of their territory by conquest. For example, first the Portuguese Empire, Spanish Empire and then the British Empire were called "the empires on which the sun never sets", because of their vast territories and possessions around the globe. This article provides a list of the largest empires in world history, but the list is not and cannot be definitive since the decision about which entities to consider as "empires" is difficult and fraught with controversy.

There are various notions of size that can be used to rank empires. For each of these notions, only estimates can be given in the case of most historical empires. Furthermore, there is usually no clear consensus among historians regarding the best estimate – if only because there is often no unambiguous information about an empire's historical boundaries or population. Thus, the values given here should be interpreted as only indicative and not as determining an accurate ranking.

Measurement[edit]

The calculation of the land area of a particular empire is controversial. In general, the list aims to include all land that was explored and explicitly claimed, even if the areas were populated very sparsely or not at all. For example, a large portion of Northern Siberia is included in the size of the Russian Empire but not 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. At the time the majority of the taiga and tundra were unexplored and uninhabited, and the Mongol Empire did not claim them as its own. This area was only very sparsely populated by the Russian Empire, but it had been explicitly claimed by the Russian Empire by the 17th century, and its extent had been entirely explored by the late 19th century. Similarly, the northernmost Canadian islands such as Ellesmere Island were explored and claimed by the British Empire by the mid-19th century (virtually the entire mainland was at least sparsely populated well before that).

Due to the historical trend of increasing population and GDP, the most recent empires tend to score highest in these categories, so the list of largest empires by population or GDP is highly dependent on which recent political entities are defined as empires. The measures of population and GDP as a percentage of the world total can be used to compensate for this historical growth and ensure that each empire is judged by the standards of its own time. However, decent GDP data is only available for the last few centuries, and accurate data only for the last few decades.

Debates regarding definition of imperial domains[edit]

Compilations of history's largest empires (in both geographical size and population) often vary due to differing definitions of imperial borders throughout history and across distinct historical traditions. Imperial domains have been variously defined in terms of direct administrative rule from a common ruling authority, military presence, colonization and settlement, collection of tribute, economic dependence, or even incorporation into a common trading or ideological network. Many imperial domains have therefore enjoyed varying degrees of autonomy, self-rule, or even outright independence (though sometimes with a dependent or protectorate relationship to a stronger power). Some regions claimed by an imperial authority have been large, yet arid and very sparsely populated lands without much administrative control whatsoever. Therefore, empires can vary in size according to these designations, often quite significantly.

For example in India, which experienced varying levels of European contact and imperial forays since Vasco da Gama's expeditions in 1497–1498, French, Dutch, Portuguese and especially British authorities claimed authority over increasing portions of the Indian Subcontinent. This process culminated in the period of the British Raj (and its smaller French and Portuguese counterparts) after 1857. Approximately half of Indian territory consisted of Princely States under de facto and de jure rule of local rajas and maharajas. Furthermore, the Indian independence Act, which ended the British presence by 1948, did not apply to the Princely States, which required separate negotiations with the new Indian nation as independent states in themselves. Nevertheless, the Indian princes acknowledged the suzerainty of the British monarchy, had no control of their foreign policy, and were subject to high levels of British interference in their internal affairs.

Another issue is that many of history's empires have ruled over vast and mostly uninhabited territorial expanses, sparsely populated by largely autonomous tribes, and with little in the way of direct administration or settlement by an imperial power. For example, various Mongol khanates from the 13th century established dominion over arid steppes in Central Asia and Siberia that were difficult to control from a central authority, as was the case with the expansionist Tsardom of Russia empires from the 17th century, which established control in the same regions. In both cases, administrative structures and settlements were gradually introduced into the regions—with Russian settlers, for example, initiating forts and frontier cities in the 19th century in particular—and so the size of each empire in any given decade would depend on how strict one's criteria are in regard to the presence of true settlement and administration. Likewise, in more recent history, almost half the land expanse that is often regarded as part of the British Empire consisted of essentially barren and uninhabitable terrain in Canada and the interior of Australia, which was often difficult to even map, let alone settle and administer. Even today, the population of those regions (particularly in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada) consists largely of sparse settlements of self-governing indigenous peoples, with little in the way of submission to a central ruling authority.

During the Muslim conquests of the 7th and early 8th centuries, Rashidun armies established the Caliphate, or Islamic Empire, one of the largest empires ever. The 7th century saw the introduction of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula, where Muhammad established a new unified political polity in the Arabian Peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates saw a century of rapid expansion of Arab power well beyond the Arabian peninsula in the form of a vast Muslim Arab Empire with an area of influence that stretched from northwest India, across Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, southern Italy, and the Iberian Peninsula, to the Pyrenees. However, internal feuding among ruling figures in the empire led it to fragment into several states under separate administrations, such as the Umayyads (whose rule continued in Spain after it collapsed elsewhere), Abbasids, Ayyubids, Mamluks and many others. These were in addition to a variety of other Muslim states in Sudan, Indonesia and elsewhere that later arose outside of the main Islamic Empires, through trade and other contacts. Thus, the size of these empires vary depending on how "membership" in the empire is defined—as being under a single administration, accepting a particular ruler or following the dictates of the Caliph (which technically, Sunni Muslims in general were expected to do).

Similarly, the Mongol Empire lost its unity upon the death of the Great Khan Möngke during fighting in China in 1259, with the Golden Horde's Berke Khan and the Ilkhanate's Hulagu Khan even taking up arms against each other and supporting rival factions for selection of the Great Khan. However, upon the death of Berke—a Muslim—the religious impetus for conflict among the khanates subsided, with the Mongols again supposedly loyal to the new Great Khan Kublai before fragmenting yet again later. If the khanates are considered to have been a unified Mongol Empire under Kublai—stretching from Korea and China in the east through Siberia and Central Asia and into Persia and Eastern Europe in the west—it would easily be the world's largest in terms of both land area and population (as a percentage of the world total). A related question arises with the granting of dominion and commonwealth statuses among former imperial domains, in which the domains acquire a high degree of self-rule, equivalent to independence in some estimations. For example, the Australian colonies, which federated in 1901, attained dominion status in 1907, which may or may not have indicated a departure from the British Empire, depending on interpretation of the status.

Finally, many of history's empires have had unusual arrangements among multiple powers, such as joint rule by several authorities, layers of rule (with different powers assuming different levels of administrative authority), territorial division with blurred boundaries or other forms of empire without a single obvious central authority. For example, the Manchus, who established the Qing Dynasty in 17th-century China, also conquered nomadic lands to the north, including Mongolia. The Manchus increasingly merged with the Chinese population over the centuries, so that the administration took on both Manchu and Chinese features with no clear division among them. The Mongol chieftains of Outer Mongolia in particular, pledged loyalty to the Manchus but retained substantial autonomy, and when the Qing Dynasty collapsed in the early 20th century, the status of Outer Mongolia relative to the new Chinese state became unclear. Lastly, there is the opposite case of a nation being nominally independent but under de facto control of another power. Britain had a very complicated arrangement with Egypt and Sudan. Egyptian forces battled the British in the Alexandria Expedition in 1807, but in the wake of this, British officials exerted varying degrees of sway in Egypt especially by the late 19th century, with the French also assuming a role in the Suez Canal territory. Sudan, in turn, was technically a colony of the Egyptians, but the British exerted de facto sway on Sudan indirectly via Egypt. Thus, accounts vary on the imperial status (or lack thereof) of both Egypt and Sudan. In the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution, many nations took on a Communist character and attached themselves to the global Communist center of the Soviet Union. Mongolia, North Korea, and China following Communist victory in the Chinese civil war, all took guidance from the Soviet Union especially in the years just after their Communist transformations. The Soviet Union also exercised varying control over Eastern Europe via the Warsaw Pact even though the Pact countries were formally independent, while Communist nations in Africa and Latin America also sought Soviet guidance. Therefore, the lists of largest empires below represent merely a sample of possible rankings depending on the specific criteria used to define an empire.

European colonial empires[edit]

The first global empires were a product of the European Age of Exploration that began with a race of exploration between the then most advanced maritime powers, Portugal and Spain, in the 15th century. The initial impulse behind these maritime empires and those that followed was trade, driven by the new ideas and the capitalism that grew out of the European Renaissance. Agreements were also reached to divide the world up between them in 1479, 1493, and 1494.

Portugal began establishing the first global trade network and empire under the leadership of Henry the Navigator. Portugal would eventually control Brazil, territories such as Uruguay and some fishing ports, in the Americas; Angola, Mozambique, Portuguese Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe (among other territories and bases) in the North and Sub-Saharan Africa; cities, forts or territories in all the Asian Subcontinents, as Muscat, Ormus and Bahrein (amongst other bases) in the Persian Gulf; Goa, Bombay and Daman and Diu (amongst other coastal cities) in India; Portuguese Ceylon; Malacca, bases in Southeast Asia and Oceania, as Makassar, Solor and others in the Moluccas, Portuguese Timor; and the granted entrepôt-base of Macau and the entrepôt-enclave of Dejima (Nagasaki) in the Far East, amongst other smaller or short-lived possessions across the globe (see Evolution of the Portuguese Empire).

During its peak, the Spanish Empire had possession of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Italy, parts of Germany, parts of France, and many colonies in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Starting with the Greater Antilles and other bases, and especially after, with the conquest of inland Mexico, Peru (amongst other related territories in the Americas), and the Philippines in the 16th century, Spain established overseas dominions on a scale and world distribution that had never been approached by its predecessors (the Mongol Empire had been larger but was restricted to Eurasia). Possessions in Europe, Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, in the North, Central, and South America, in the Pacific Ocean, and the Far East, qualified the Spanish Empire as attaining a global presence in this sense.

In 1580, Philip II of Spain inherited the vacant Portuguese throne and became Philip I of Portugal. The Spanish Empire was at it greatest extent at that time, including most of the Americas, Italy, The Seventeen Provinces, and smaller regions of Europe, Asia and Africa. The Portuguese Empire, also significant, included Brazil and the Portuguese colonies in Africa and Asia. Even though the empires continued to be administered separately, this so-called "union of crowns" resulted in one of the largest empires of all time, and the saying "the sun never sets..." was used for the first time. The Iberian Union lasted until 1640 when Portugal restored a Portuguese king to the throne.

Subsequent global empires included the French, Dutch, and British empires. The latter, consolidated during the period of British maritime hegemony in the 19th century, became the largest of all empires by virtue of the improved transportation technologies of the time. At its height, the British Empire covered a quarter of the Earth's land area and comprised one fifth of its population. Germany and Italy were unified later than the other major European countries and so they joined other European powers in establishing colonies overseas only during the "Scramble for Africa" in the 19th century. By the 1860s, the Russian Empire — continued as the Soviet Union — became the largest contiguous state in the world. Present-day Russia continues this distinction, despite having lost its Soviet periphery (Russia today includes slightly over half the world's longitudes).

Largest empires by land area and population[edit]

For context, note that the total land area of the Earth is 148,940,000 km2 (57,500,000 sq mi).[1]

All empires at their greatest extent[edit]

This list contains at least one incomplete section; you can help by expanding it.
Rank Empire Max. land area (million km2) Max. land area (million mi2)  % of world land area Era Max. population (million)  % of world population
1 British Empire 33.7[2] 13.01 22.63% 1922[2] 458.0 (in 1938)[3] 20.00% (458 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)[3]
2 Mongol Empire 33.0[4][5][6][7] 12.74 22.29% 1279[8] 110.0 (in the 13th century)[9] 25.60% (110.0 million out of 429 million[10] in the 13th century)
3 Russian Empire 22.8[11][12] 8.80 15.31% 1866 176.4 (in 1913) 9.80% (176.4 million out of 1.791 billion[13] in 1913)
4 Spanish Empire 19.4[11][12][14] 7.49 13.04% 1740–1790 (approx.)[15] 68.2[16] 12.30% (68.2 million out of 556 million[13] in the 17th century)
5 Umayyad Caliphate 15.0[17] 5.79 10.07% 661–750 62.0 (in the 7th century) 28.80% (62.0 million out of 208 million in the 7th century)
6 Qing dynasty 14.7 5.68 9.87% 1759[8][18] 432.2 in 1851.[19] 36.60% (381.0 million out of 1.041 billion in 1820)[13]
7 Yuan dynasty 14.0 5.41 9.40% 1310[18] 59.8 in 1291.[20][21] 17.10% (59.8 million out of 350 million in 1290)
8 Second French colonial empire 13.0 5.02 8.73% 1938[15] 112.9 in 1938 5.10% (112.9 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
9 Abbasid Caliphate 11.1 4.29 7.45% 750–1258[18] 44.0 (in 850) 20.00% (50.0 million out of 250 million in 850)[13]
10 Portuguese Empire 10.4 4.02 6.98% 1815[15] — —
11 Rashidun Caliphate 9.0 3.48 6.04% 654[18][22] 40.3 19.10% (40.3 million out of 210 million in 7th century)
12 Empire of Brazil 8.5 3.28 5.71% 1880 9.9 (in 1872)[23] —
13 First French colonial empire 8.1 3.12 5.44% 1754 30 (in 1754)[24] —
14 Achaemenid Empire 8.0 3.08 5.36% 500 BC[25] 13.5 (in 5th Cen. BC)[26] 13.5% (13.5 million out of 100 million in 5th Cen. BC)( [27])
15 Karkota Dynasty of Kashmir 8.0 3.08 5.36% 750[28] — —
16 Empire of Japan 7.4 2.86 4.97% 1942[15] 134.8 in 1938 5.90% (134.8 million out of 2.295 billion[13] in 1938)
17 Sasanian Empire 6.6 2.55 4.44% 621[8] 25.0 (in the 7th century AD) 12.00% (25.0 million out of 210 million[29] in the 7th century AD)
18 Ming dynasty 6.5 2.51 4.36% 1450[8][18] 110.0 in 1600.[30][31] 19.57% (110.0 million out of 556.2 million in 1600)[13]
19 Han dynasty 6.0[32] 2.51 4.36% 100[33] 58.0 (in 2 AD)[20][34] 19.3% (58 million out of 300 million[13] in 2 AD)
20 Göktürk Khaganate 6.0 2.32 4.03% 557[8][33] 6.0 2.0%
21 Golden Horde Khanate 6.0 2.32 4.03% 1310[8][18] — —
22 Tang dynasty 5.4[35] 2.01 3.75% 715[8][18] 50.0 (in 8tj century) 24.0% (50.0 million out of 220 million in the 8th century AD)[25]
23 Macedonian Empire 5.2 2.01 3.49% 323 BC[8][36] 50 (in the 4th century BC) 30.00% (50.0 million out of 165 million[13] in the 4th century BC)
24 Ottoman Empire 5.2 2.00 3.49% 1683[8][18] 35.3 in 1856 7.10% (39.0 million out of 556 million[13] in 1683)
25 Maurya Empire 5.0 1.93 4.03% 265 BC[8] 30.0 in the 2nd century BC 20.0% (30.0 million out of 150 million in the 2nd century BC[37])
26 Mughal Empire 5.0 1.93 2.69% 1707[8][18][38] 150.0 (in 1700) 24.8% (150.0 million out of 610 million[39])
27 Northern Yuan Dynasty, Mongolia 5.0 1.93 3.36% 1550[18] — —
28 Roman Empire 5.0[8][40] 1.93 3.64% 117 70.0 (in the 2nd century AD)[40][41][42] 21.00% (70 million in 150 AD)[43]

↑ Jump up to: 22.0 22.1
29 First Mexican Empire 4.9 1.89 3.29% 1822[citation needed] — —
30 Xin dynasty 4.70 1.82 3.16% 10[33] — —
31 Pala Empire 4.6[citation needed] 1.78 3.09% 850 60.0 (in the 3rd Century) 24.00%[not in citation given] (60.0 million out of 250 million in 850)[13][dead link]
32 Tibetan Empire 4.6 1.78 3.09% 800[18][44] 25.0 8.333%
33 Byzantine Empire 4.5 1.35 3.00% 555[33] 30.0 (in 555-600) 10.00% (30.0 million out of 300 million in 600)[13]
34 Timurid Empire 4.4 1.70 2.95% 1405[8][18] 50.00 (in the 15th Century) 11.36% (50.0 million out of 440 million in 1400)[13]
35 Fatimid Caliphate 4.1 1.58 2.75% 969[8][18] — —
36 Xiongnu Empire 4.03 1.56 2.71% 176 BC[45] — —
37 Hephthalite Empire 4.0 1.54 2.69% 490[33] — —
38 Hunnic Empire 4.0 1.54 2.69% 441[33] — —
39 Eastern Turks Khanate 4.0 1.54 2.69% 624[33] — —
40 Rouran Khaganate Juan-juan 4.0 1.54 2.69% 405[8][33] — —
41 Western Turkic Khaganate 4.0 1.54 2.69% 630[33] — —
42 Great Seljuq Empire 3.9 1.51 2.62% 1080[8][18] — —
43 Italian Empire 3.8 1.47 2.55% 1940[citation needed] 51.9 (in 1938) 2.30% (51.9 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
44 Kushan Empire 3.8 1.47 2.55% 200[33] 42.37 (in the 2nd Century) 19.00% (42.37 million out of 223 million in 140)[13]
45 Ilkhanate 3.75 1.45 2.52% 1310[8][18] — —
46 Dutch Empire 3.7 1.43 2.48% 1940[citation needed] 60.0 (in 1940) 3.50% (60.0 million out of 1.700 billion in 1907)
47 Chola Empire 3.6 1.39 2.42% 1050[46][47] — —
48 Khwarazmian Empire 3.6 1.39 2.42% 1218[18] 20.0 in 1200 5.00%
49 Chagatai Khanate 3.5 1.35 2.35% 1310 or 1350[8][18] — —
50 German Colonial empire 3.5 1.35 2.35% 1914[citation needed] 64.9 in 1914 3.70% (64.9 million out of 1.753 billion in 1910)
51 Gupta Empire 3.5 1.05 2.35% 400[8] — 26.36% (58.0 million out of 220 million in 400 AD)[3]
52 Northern Song Dynasty 3.5 1.35 2.35% 1100[8][18] 123.0 in 1103[20][48] 22.00% (59.0 million out of 268 million in 1000)[13]
53 Safavid dynasty, Iran 3.5 1.35 2.35% 1512[citation needed] — —
54 Shaybanid Uzbek Dynasty 3.5 1.35 2.35% 1510[18] — —
55 Western Jin dynasty 3.5 1.35 2.35% 300[33] 48.0 in 1195.[20][49] —
56 Ghaznavid Empire, Iran 3.4 1.31 2.28% 1029[8][18] — —
57 Almoravid dynasty, Morocco 3.3 1.27 2.22% 1147[18] — —
58 Ghurids Sultanate 3.2 1.24 2.15% 1200[18] — —
59 Tughlaq dynasty 3.2 1.24 2.15% 1320[18] — 18.91% (70.0 million out of 370 million in 1330)[13]
60 Median Empire 3.1 1.08 1.88% 585 BC[8][36] — —
61 Parthian Empire 3.1 1.08 1.88% 1[8][36] — —
62 Sui Dynasty 3.1 1.20 2.08% 610[18] 53.0 in 606[20][50] —
63 Uyghur Khaganate 3.1 1.20 2.08% 800[8][18] — —
64 Afsharid dynasty 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1738[citation needed] — —
65 Armenian Empire 0.75 1.51 2.62% 69 BC[8][36] — —
66 Danish Colonial Empire 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1800[citation needed] — —
67 Grand Duchy of Moscow 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1505[citation needed] — —
68 Kalmar Union 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1397[citation needed] — —
69 Kara-Khanid Khanate 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1025[18] — —
70 Khazar Khanate 3.0 1.16 2.01% 850[8] — —
71 Qajar dynasty 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1796[citation needed] — —
72 Seleucid Empire 3.0 1.51 2.62% 301 BC[8][36] — —
73 Samanid dynasty 2.85 1.10 1.91% 928[8][18] — —
74 Eastern Jin dynasty 2.8 1.08 1.88% 347[33] — —
75 Liu Song dynasty 2.8 1.08 1.88% 420[33] — —
76 Maratha Empire 2.8 0.97 1.68% 1760[8] — —
77 Qin dynasty 2.8 1.08 1.88% 206 BC[33] — —
78 Khilji dynasty 2.7 1.04 1.81% 1312 or 1320[8][18] — —
79 Majapahit Empire 2.7 1.04 1.81% 1389[33] — —
80 Liao dynasty 2.6 1.00 1.75% 947[8][18] — —
81 Belgian Empire 2.5 0.97 1.68% 1914[citation needed] — —
82 Greco-Bactrian Kingdom 2.5 0.97 1.68% 184[33] — —
83 Hotaki Empire 2.5 0.97 1.68% 1722[citation needed] — —
84 Jurchen Jin dynasty 2.3 0.89 1.54% 1126[8][18] — —
85 Kara-Khitan Khanate Western Liao 2.5 0.97 1.68% 1210[8] — —
86 Later Zhao dynasty 2.5 0.97 1.68% 329[33] — —
87 Indo-Greek Kingdom 2.5 0.97 1.68% 150 BC[33] — —
88 Southern Qi dynasty 2.3 0.89 1.54% 502[33] — —
89 Southern Song dynasty 2.1 0.81 1.41% 1127[18] 73.0 in 1193.[20][51] —
90 Bahriyya Mamluks 2.1 0.81 1.41% 1300[18] — —
91 Burjiyya Mamluks 2.1 0.81 1.41% 1400[8] — —
92 First French Empire 2.1 0.81 1.41% 1813[18] — —
93 Kievan Rus' 2.1 0.81 1.41% 1000[8][18] — —
94 Ayyubid Caliphate 2.0 1.04 0.77% 1190[8] — —
95 Durrani Empire 2.0 0.77 1.34% 1757[52] — —
96 Wei dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.34% 263[33] — —
97 Earlier Zhao dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.34% 316[33] 64 in 156[20][53] —
98 Former Qin dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.34% 376[33] — —
99 Western Roman Empire 2.0 0.77 1.34% 395[33] — —
100 Northern Wei dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.34% 450[33] — —
101 Saffarid dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.34% 900[citation needed] — —
102 Almohad Caliphate 2.0 0.77 1.34% 1200[8] — —
103 Satavahana Empire 2.0 0.77 1.34% 90[33] — —
104 Inca Empire 2.0 0.77 1.34% 1527[8][18] — —
105 Second Mexican Empire 2.0 0.77 1.34% 1864 — —
106 Gurjara Pratihara 1.8 0.69 1.21% 860[18] — —
107 Sibir Khanate 1.8 0.69 1.21% 1520[18] — —
108 Rashtrakuta dynasty 1.7 0.66 1.41% 805[citation needed] — —
109 Buyid Sultanate 1.6 0.62 1.07% 980[8][18] — —
110 Mamluk Sultanate 1.6 0.62 1.07% 1228[18] — —
111 Indo-Parthian Kingdom 1.5 0.58 1.01% 50[33] — —
112 Wu Dynasty 1.5 0.58 1.01% 221[33] — —
113 Northern Zhou Dynasty 1.5 0.58 1.01% 577[33] — —
114 Nanda Dynasty 1.5 0.58 1.01% 350 BC or 321[33][54] — —
115 Indo-Scythian Kingdom 1.5 0.58 1.01% 100 BC[36] — —
116 Tulunids Emirate 1.5 0.58 1.01% 900[33] — —
117 Idrisid dynasty, Morocco 1.5 0.58 1.01% 828[8] — —
118 Sur Empire 1.5 0.58 1.01% 1545[8][18] — —
119 Neo-Assyrian Empire 1.4 0.54 0.940% 670 BC[8][36] — —
120 Songhai Empire 1.4 0.54 0.940% 1500[55] — —
121 Empire of Harsha 1.35 0.52 0.906% 625 or 648[8][18] — —
122 Liang Dynasty 1.3 0.50 0.873% 502 or 549[8][33] — —
123 Western Wei Dynasty 1.3 0.50 0.873% 557[33] — —
124 Later Liang 1.3 0.50 0.873% 923[18] — —
125 Later Tang 1.3 0.50 0.873% 923[18] — —
126 Taungoo Dynasty 1.3 0.50 0.873% 1581[56] 3.0 0.60% (3.0 million out of 500 million[13] in 16th Century)
127 Mali Empire 1.29 0.50 0.866% 1312[57] — 10.00% (45.0 million out of 450 million[58] in the mid-15th century)
128 Siam Empire 1.29 0.50 0.866% 1782[citation needed] — —
129 Shang Dynasty 1.25 0.48 0.839% 1122 BC[8][36] — —
130 Western Zhou Dynasty 1.25 0.48 0.839% 1122 BC[36] — —
131 Aksumite Empire 1.25 0.48 0.839% 350[8] — —
132 Khmer Empire 1.2 0.46 0.806% 1150[8][18] 4.0 in 1150 1.333%
133 Carolingian Dynasty, Francia 1.2 0.46 0.806% 814[8][18] — —
134 Srivijaya Empire 1.2 0.46 0.806% 1200[8] — —
135 Sunga Empire 1.2 0.46 0.806% 150 BC[8] — —
136 Kingdom of Kush 1.2 0.46 0.806% 700 BC[8] — —
137 Chalukya Dynasty 1.1 0.42 0.739% 636[citation needed] — —
138 Swedish Empire 1.1 0.42 0.739% 1658[citation needed] — —
139 Lodhi Dynasty 1.1 0.42 0.739% 1517[citation needed] — —
140 Polish-Lithuanian Empire 1.0[59] 0.39 0.671% 1619[60] ca. 12.0 (in 1619) 2.07% to 02.41% (avg. 02.2%)[61]
141 Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1450 BC[36] — —
142 New Kingdom of Egypt 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1300 BC[8][36] — —
143 Ptolemaic Dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 301 BC[36] — —
144 Eastern Wei Dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 550[33] — —
145 Northern Qi Dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 550[33] — —
146 Tahirid dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 800[18] — —
147 Kalachuri Dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1050[8][18] — —
148 Holy Roman Empire 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1050[18] 5.0 (in 1200) —
149 Western Xia Dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1100[8] — —
150 Western Chalukya Empire 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1121[citation needed] — —
151 Avars Empire 1.0 0.39 0.671% 600[33] — —
152 Kanem Empire 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1200[18] — —
153 Bruneian Empire 0.95 0.37 0.653% 1524[8][36] — —
154 Maha-Meghavahana Dynasty 0.9 0.35 0.604% 10 BC[36] — —
155 Konbaung Dynasty, Burma 0.9 0.35 0.604% 1800[citation needed] — —
156 Volga Bulgars Khanate 0.9 0.35 0.604% 1100[8][18] — —
157 Grand Duchy of Lithuania 0.85 0.32 0.570% 1490 4.25 —
158 Akkadian Empire 0.8 0.31 0.537% 2250 BC[36] — —
159 Later Jin 0.8 0.31 0.537% 936[18] — —
160 Ghana Empire 0.8 0.31 0.537% 1067[33] — —
161 Pagan Kingdom 0.8 0.31 0.537% 1200[18] — —
162 Western Satraps Dynasty 0.8 0.31 0.537% 100[33] — —
163 Himyarite Kingdom 0.8 0.31 0.537% 400[36] — —
164 Balhae Kingdom 0.8 0.31 0.537% 830[8] — —
165 Khanate of Kazan 0.7 0.27 0.470% 1540[18] — —
166 Merovingian Dynasty, Francia 0.7 0.27 0.470% 558[18] — —
167 Bulgarian Empire 0.7 0.27 0.470% 900[citation needed] — —
168 Shu Dynasty 0.7 0.27 0.470% 221[33] — —
169 Yadava Gauli Kingdom 0.7 0.27 0.470% 1250[18] — —
170 Paramara Dynasty 0.7 0.27 0.470% 1050[33] — —
171 Kingdom of Dali 0.7 0.27 0.470% 1200[citation needed] — —
172 Vijayanagara Empire 0.7 0.27 0.470% 1529[citation needed] — 5.00% (25.0 million out of 500 million[13] in the 16th century)
173 Kingdom of Nanzhao 0.7 0.27 0.470% 830[18] — —
174 Austro-Hungarian Empire 0.676615 0.26 0.454% 1867–1918 52.8 in 1914 2.90% (51.3 million out of 1.753 billion in 1910)
175 Fifteenth dynasty of Egypt 0.65 0.25 0.436% 1650 BC[36] — —
176 26th Dynasty of Egypt 0.65 0.25 0.436% 550 BC[36] — —
177 Vakataka Kingdom 0.65 0.25 0.436% 450[36] — —
178 Visigothic Kingdom 0.6 0.23 0.403% 580[33] — —
179 Caliphate of Córdoba 0.6 0.23 0.403% 1000[18] — —
180 Rai Dynasty 0.6 0.23 0.403% 675[33] — —
181 Maukhari Kannauj Dynasty 0.6 0.23 0.403% 600[18] — —
182 Bahmani Sultanate 0.6 0.23 0.403% 1470[18] — —
183 Nizams Dynasty 0.6 0.23 0.403% 1740[citation needed] — —
184 Sikh Empire 0.5609 0.22 0.377% 1845[citation needed] — —
185 Middle Kingdom of Egypt 0.5 0.19 0.336% 1850 BC[36] — —
186 Lydian Empire 0.5 0.19 0.336% 585 BC[36] — —
187 Neo-Babylonian Empire 0.5 0.19 0.336% 562 BC[36] — —
188 Kosala Dynasty 0.5 0.19 0.336% 543 BC[33] — —
189 Shishunaga dynasty 0.5 0.19 0.336% 510 BC[33] — —
190 Chu Dynasty 0.5 0.19 0.336% 350 BC[33] — —
191 Pandyan Dynasty, Tamizhan kingdom 0.5 0.19 0.336% 1251[citation needed] — —
192 Later Han 0.5 0.19 0.336% 947[18] — —
193 Kangju Empire 0.5 0.19 0.336% 100 BC[33] — —
194 Ostrogothic Kingdom 0.5 0.19 0.336% 510[18] — —
195 Goguryeo Kingdom 0.45 0.17 0.302% 476[36] — —
196 Xia Dynasty 0.45 0.17 0.302% 1800 BC[36] — —
197 Polish Piast State 0.4 0.15 0.269% 1003[60][62] ca. 2 (in 1003)[59][63] 0.58% to 0.79% (avg. 0.7%)[61]
198 Crimean Khanate 0.4 0.15 0.269% 1500[18] — —
199 Armenian Kingdom 0.4 0.15 0.269% 189 BC[33] — —
200 Old Kingdom of Egypt 0.4 0.15 0.269% 2400 BC[36] — —
201 Middle Kingdom of Assyria 0.4 0.15 0.269% 1080 BC[36] — —
202 Latin Empire 0.35 0.14 0.235% 1204[33] — —
203 Mitanni Empire 0.3 0.12 0.201% 1450 BC[36] — —
204 Carthaginian Empire 0.3 0.12 0.201% 220 BC[36] — —
205 1st Dynasty, Babylon 0.25 0.10 0.168% 1690 BC[36] — —
206 Serbian Empire 0.25 0.10 0.168% 1350[citation needed] — —
207 Aztec Empire 0.22 0.08 0.148% 1520[18] — —
208 Middle Elamite 0.2 0.08 0.134% 1160 BC[36] — —
209 2nd Dynasty, Isin 0.2 0.08 0.134% 1130 BC[36] — —
210 Urartu, or Kingdom of Ararat or Van 0.2 0.08 0.134% 800 BC[36] — —
211 Amorian Dynasty, Byzantium 0.2 0.08 0.134% 750 BC[36] — —
212 Old Kingdom, Assyria 0.15 0.06 0.101% 1730 BC[36] — —
213 Eastern Zhou Dynasty 0.15 0.06 0.101% 770 BC[36] — —
214 Shah Dynasty 0.15 0.06 0.101% 1768–2008 27.643 (in 2008) 0.004% (27.6 million out of 6.7 billion in 2008)

Maps[edit]

Ancient empires[edit]

Medieval empires[edit]

Modern empires[edit]

Largest empires by economy[edit]

GDP estimates in the following list are mostly given for empires in modern times, from the 18th to 20th centuries. All dollar amounts are in 1990 USD.

GDP size[edit]

  1. Indian Empire (Mughal/Afgan and Rajput) - $10.219T (including Kohinoor diamond) (in 1500)[64]
  2. British Empire - $918.7 billion (in 1938)[3]
  3. Nazi German Empire - $375.6 billion (in 1938)[3]
  4. Japanese Empire - $260.7 billion (in 1938)[3]
  5. Russian Empire - $257.7 billion (in 1917)[13]
  6. Qing Empire - $241.3 billion (GDP decline to 1912, immediately before its downfall)[13]
  7. French Empire - $234.1 billion (in 1938)[3]
  8. Italian Empire - $143.4 billion (in 1938)[3]
  9. Afsharid Persian Empire - $119.85 billion (in 1740)[13]
  10. Austro-Hungarian Empire - $100.5 billion (in 1918)[65]
  11. Mughal Empire - $90.8 billion (GDP decline in 1700)[13]
  12. Dutch Empire - $60 billion (in 1900)
  13. Ottoman Empire - $26.4 billion (in 1923)[66]
  14. Empire of Brazil - $13.6 billion (in 1889)[65]
  15. Portuguese Empire - $12.6 billion (in 1913)[65]

See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ CIA - The World Factbook
  2. ^ a b Ferguson, Niall (2004). Empire, The rise and demise of the British world order and the lessons for global power. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-02328-2. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harrison (1998, pp. 3,7).
  4. ^ Smil, Vaclav (29 January 2010). Why America Is Not a New Rome. MIT Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780262288293. Retrieved 30 October 2014. 
  5. ^ Turner, Tracey (3 October 2013). What's the Difference Between Snot and Bogeys?. Scholastic UK. ISBN 9781407138121. Retrieved 30 October 2014. 
  6. ^ Finlay. Pilgrim Art. p.151.
  7. ^ Vandepeer, Matt. "Retrospect Empire". The Suttonian. Retrieved 30 October 2014. 
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be Jonathan M. Adams, Thomas D. Hall and Peter Turchin (2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires" (PDF). Journal of World-Systems Research (University of Connecticut). 12 (no. 2): 219–229. 
  9. ^ The combined population of China and Korea in the 13th century was 83 in Biraben (2003[page needed]). The combined population of Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Iran, Iraq and Turkey was about 27 in Maddison (2006[page needed]).
  10. ^ Biraben, Jean-Noel; Biraben, Jean-Noel (January 1979). "Essai sur l'evolution du nombre des hommes". Population (French Edition) (Institut National d'&#201) 34 (1): 13–25. doi:10.2307/1531855. 
  11. ^ a b "The Largest Historical Empires". Retrieved 30 September 2014. 
  12. ^ a b http://www.johndclare.net/Empire/images/The%20British%20Empire.ppt
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Maddison, op cit. For alternate estimates, see the Economic History Services' USA/UK GDP search tool.
  14. ^ http://my.raex.com/~obsidian/earthrul.html
  15. ^ a b c d Gordon (2005)
  16. ^ The combined population of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, United States and the Philippines was 29.2 in Maddison (2006[page needed]). The population of Latin America was 39 in Biraben (2003[page needed]), minus Brazil and its 4 people with was a part of the Portuguese empire.
  17. ^ Blankinship, Khalid Yahya (1994), The End of the Jihad State, the Reign of Hisham Ibn 'Abd-al Malik and the collapse of the Umayyads, State University of New York Press, p. 37, ISBN 0-7914-1827-8 
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk Rein Taagepera (September 1997). "Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia". International Studies Quarterly 41 (3): 475–504. doi:10.1111/0020-8833.00053. 
  19. ^ Recorded number of persons in 1851 is 432,164,047 according to Draft History of Qing.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g (a) John D. Durand, 1960, "The Population Statistics of China, A.D. 2–1953", Population Studies Vol. 13 (No. 3), 209–256. (b) John D. Durand, 1974, "Historical Estimates of World Population: An Evaluation", University of Pennsylvania, Population Center, Analytical and Technical Reports, Number 10.
  21. ^ Recorded number of persons and households in 1290 are 58,834,711 and 13,196,206, respectively (History of Yuan), while recorded peak number of persons and households are 59,848,964 and 13,430,322 in 1291, respectively (History of Yuan).
  22. ^ Rashidun Caliphate
  23. ^ IBGE Dados Históricos dos Censos
  24. ^ Larousse Encyclopedia
  25. ^ a b McEvedy and Jones (1978).
  26. ^ While estimates for the Achaemenid Empire range from 10–80+ million. Prevas (2009, p. 14) estimates 10 [1]. Langer (2001, p. 40) estimates around 16 2. McEvedy and Jones (1978, p. 125) estimates 13.5 3. Strauss (2004, p. 37) estimates about 20 4. Ward (2009, p. 16) estimates at 20 5. Aperghis (2007, p. 311) estimates 32 6. Scheidel (2009, p. 99) estimates 35 7. Zeinert (1996, p. 32) estimates 40 8. Rawlinson and Schauffler (1898, p. 270) estimates possibly 50 9. Astor (1899, p. 56) estimates almost 50 10. Lissner (1961, p. 111) estimates probably 50 11. Milns (1968, p. 51) estimates some 50 12. Hershlag (1980, p. 140) estimates nearly 50 13. Daniel (2001, p. 41) estimates at 50 15. Meyer and Andreades (2004, p. 58) estimates to 50 16. Pollack (2004, p. 7) estimates about 50 17. Jones (2004, p. 8) estimates over 50 18. Safire (2007, p. 627) estimates in 50 19. Dougherty (2009, p. 6) estimates about 70 20. Richard (2008, p. 34) estimates nearly 70 21. Mitchell (2004, p. 16) estimates over 70 22. Hanson (2001, p. 32) estimates almost 75 23. West (1913, p. 85) estimates about 75 24. Zenos (1889, p. 2) estimates exactly 75 25. Cowley (1999 and 2001, p. 17) estimates possibly 80 26. Cook (1904, p. 277) estimates exactly 80 27.
  27. ^ Colin McEvedy and Richard Jones (1978), "Atlas of World Population History", Facts on File (p. 125, 127, p. 342). New York.
  28. ^ http://empires.findthedata.com/q/103/2513/How-large-was-the-Karkota-Dynasty-Kashmir-at-its-greatest-extent
  29. ^ Morris, Ian. 2009. The dynamics of ancient Empires: State Power from Assyria to Byzantium
  30. ^ Jean-Noël Biraben, "The History of the Human Population From the First Beginnings to the Present" in Demography: Analysis and Synthesis: A Treatise in Population (Eds: Graziella Caselli, Jacques Vallin, Guillaume J. Wunsch), Vol. III, Chapter 66, pp 5-18, Academic Press:San Diego (2005).
  31. ^ Recorded number of persons and households in 1393 are 60,545,812 and 10,652,870, respectively (Ming Hui Dian), while recorded peak number of persons and households are 66,598,337 and 11,415,829 in 1403, respectively (Book of Ming).
  32. ^ Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires". Journal of world-systems researc h 12 (2): 219–229. ISSN 1076-156X. Retrieved 12 August 2010. 
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au Rein Taagepera "Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.", Social Science History Vol. 3, 115-138 (1979).
  34. ^ Recorded number of persons and households in AD 2 are 58,594,978 and 12,233,062, respectively (Book of Han).
  35. ^ Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires". Journal of world-systems researc h 12 (2): 219–229. ISSN 1076-156X. Retrieved 12 August 2010. 
  36. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai Rein Taagepera "Size and Duration of Empires Growth-Decline Curves, 3000 to 600 B.C.", Social Science Research Vol. 7, 180-196 (1978).
  37. ^ Colin McEvedy and Richard Jones (1978), "Atlas of World Population History", Facts on File (p. 127, 342). New York.
  38. ^ Chandra, Satish. Medieval India: From Sultanate To The Mughals. p. 202. 
  39. ^ Colin McEvedy and Richard Jones (1978), "Atlas of World Population History", Facts on File (p. 183, p. 342). New York.
  40. ^ a b Taagepera, Rein (1979). "Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D". Social Science History (Duke University Press) 3 (3/4): 118. doi:10.2307/1170959. JSTOR 1170959. 
  41. ^ Mclynn Frank "Marcus Aurelius" p. 4. Published by The Bodley Head 2009
  42. ^ There are several different estimates for the Roman Empire. Scheidel (2006, p. 2) estimates 60. Goldsmith (1984, p. 263) estimates 55. Beloch (1886, p. 507) estimates 54. Maddison (2006, p. 51, 120) estimates 48. Roman Empire Population estimates 65 (while mentioning several other estimates between 55 and 120 ).
  43. ^ Scheidel, Walter; Friesen, Steven J. (Nov. 2009): "The Size of the Economy and the Distribution of Income in the Roman Empire", The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 99, pp. 61–91
  44. ^ Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires". Journal of world-systems research 12 (2): 219–229. ISSN 1076-156X. Retrieved August 12, 2010. 
  45. ^ Claudio Cioffi-Revilla, J. Daniel Rogers, Steven P. Wilcox, & Jai Alterman, "Computing the Steppes: Data Analysis for Agent-Based Modeling of Polities in Inner Asia", Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the Amer. Pol. Sci. Assoc., Boston, Massachusetts, p. 8 August 28–31, (2008).
  46. ^ "History Chola Empire - History Of Ancient, Medieval And Modern India.". Retrieved 30 September 2014. 
  47. ^ "The Cholas"" University of Madras"K. A. Nilakanta Sastri
  48. ^ Recorded number of persons and households in 1103 are 45,981,845 and 20,524,065, respectively (Song Huiyao), while recorded peak number of persons and households are 46,734,784 and 20,882,438 in 1109, respectively (Song Huiyao).
  49. ^ Recorded number of persons and households in 1195 are 48,490,400 and 7,223,400, respectively (History of Jin).
  50. ^ Recorded number of persons and households are 46,019,956 and 8,907,546, respectively, in 606 (Tongdian) or 609 (Book of Sui).
  51. ^ Recorded number of persons and households in 1193 are 27,845,085 and 12,302,873, respectively (Wenxian Tongkao), while recorded peak number of persons and households are 28,320,085 and 12,670.801 in 1223, respectively (Wenxian Tongkao).
  52. ^ International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest, ed. Immanuel Ness, Blackwell Publishing, 2009, p. 1029. Link.
  53. ^ Recorded number of persons and households in 156 are 56,486,856 and 10,677,960 respectively (Book of the Later Han).
  54. ^ Rein Taagepera "Size and Duration of Empires: Systematics of Size", Social Science Research Vol. 7, 108-127 (1978).
  55. ^ John O. Hunwick: Timbuktu and the Songahy Empire: Al-Sa’di's Ta’rikh Al-sudan Down to 1613 and other Contemporary Documents (Brill, 2003),p. xlix.
  56. ^ Victor B Lieberman (2003). Strange Parallels: Southeast Asia in Global Context, c. 800–1830, volume 1, Integration on the Mainland. Cambridge University Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-521-80496-7. 
  57. ^ Hempstone, page 312
  58. ^ Walker, Sheila S., African roots/American cultures: Africa in the creation of the Americas, Published by Rowman & Littlefield, p. 127. (2001)
  59. ^ a b Collective work. "Atlas Historyczny Polski". PPWK, 1985
  60. ^ a b Maps of border changes"[2]"
  61. ^ a b Historical Estimates of World Population U.S. Census Bureau.
  62. ^ State of Boleslaw Chrobry"History of Poland during the Piast dynasty"
  63. ^ Population of Poland"pl:Ludnosc Polski"
  64. ^ Cite error: The named reference Spatil was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  65. ^ a b c Broadberry and Harrison (2005).
  66. ^ Pamuk (2005[page needed]).

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]
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