List of largest empires

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This is a list of the largest empires in world history.

Contents

[edit] Definition

An empire is a political unit composed of a number of territories, peoples, or nations which is ruled by a single supreme authority.

[edit] Characteristics of an empire

 The neutrality of this section is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.

Empires are all individual in character, having been formed in widely different times under widely different political structures. They are so differentiated that the term Empire is more an abstract idea of an accumulation of nations under a single authority than it is a concrete form of government. For example, the Mongol Empire was an expanse of sparsely populated nations, tribes and empires that were discovered and conquered by force, whereas the British Empire was a dispersed and diverse collection of nations that were discovered, conquered, coerced, bought, or simply administered by the British crown.

The calculation of the land area of a particular empire is controversial: The area of Northern Siberia is not included in the size of the Mongol Empire because it was largely unpopulated, but is included in Russian Empire in the map. But the area of Northern Canada, which was only very sparsely populated, is included in the land area calculation of the British Empire, and so is the case with Russian Empire including Northern Siberia in the map even though it was unpopulated.

[edit] Largest empires by landmass

[edit] All empires

  1. British Empire - 36.6 million km² [1] (under King George V in 1921)
  2. Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km² [1] (under Khublai Khan in 1279)
  3. Russian Empire - 22.8 million km² [2] (under Alexander III in 1895)
  4. Spanish Empire - 19 million km² [1] (under King Phillip II)
  5. Arab Empire - 13.2 million km² [1] (under the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I)
  6. Qing Empire - 12 million km² [3] (under Emperor Qianlong).
  7. French Empire - 12 million km² [1]
  8. Portuguese Empire - 10 million km² [1]
  9. Brazilian Empire - 8 million km² [1]
  10. Achaemenid Persian Empire - 7.5 million km² [4] (under Darius the Great)
  11. Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km² [1] (during World War II)
  12. Ming Empire - 6.5 million km² [2]
  13. Han Empire - 6 million km² [2]
  14. Ottoman Empire - 5.6 million km² [1]
  15. Roman Empire - 5.6 million km² [1] (under Emperor Trajan)
  16. Tang Empire - 5.4 million km² [2] (under Emperor Gaozong of Tang [5])
  17. Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km² [1] (under Alexander the Great)
  18. Maurya Empire - 5 million km² [2] (under Ashoka the Great)
  19. Mexican Empire - 4.7 millon km² [1]
  20. Timurid Empire - 4.4 million km² [2]
  21. Mughal Empire - 4 million km² [2]
  22. Hunnic Empire - 4 million km² [2] (under Attila the Hun)
  23. Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km² [2]
  24. Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km² [1]
  25. Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
  26. Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km² [1]
  27. Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km² [1] (during World War II)
  28. Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km² [2] (under Chandragupta II)
  29. Sassanid Persian Empire - 3.5 million km² [2] (under Khosrau I)
  30. Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km² [2]
  31. Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km² [2]
  32. Khazar Empire - 3 million km² [2]
  33. Median Empire - 2.8 million km² [2]
  34. Byzantine Empire - 2.7 million km² [2]
  35. Chola Empire - 2.5 million km² [6] (under Rajendra Chola I)
  36. Majapahit Empire - 1.5 million km² [7]
  37. Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km² [2]
  38. Aksumite Empire - 1.3 million km² [2]
  39. Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km² [2]
  40. Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km² [2]
  41. Harsha Empire - 1 million km² [2] (under Harsha Vardhana)
  42. Egyptian Empire - 1 million km² [2]
  43. Almoravid Empire - 1 million km² [2]
  44. Khmer Empire - 1 million km² [2]
  45. Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km² [8]
  46. Pala Empire - 600,000 km² [9]
  47. Nanda Empire - 600,000 km² [9]
  48. Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km² [8]
  49. Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km² [10]

[edit] Contiguous empires

  1. Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km² (under Khublai Khan in 1279)
  2. Russian Empire - 22.8 million km² (under Alexander III in 1895)
  3. Arab Empire - 13.2 million km² (under the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I)
  4. Qing Empire - 12 million km² (under Emperor Qianlong)
  5. Brazilian Empire - 8 million km²
  6. Achaemenid Persian Empire - 7.5 million km² (under Darius the Great)
  7. Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²
  8. Han Empire - 6 million km²
  9. Ottoman Empire - 5.6 million km²
  10. Roman Empire - 5.6 million km² (under Emperor Trajan)
  11. Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²
  12. Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km² (under Alexander the Great)
  13. Maurya Empire - 5 million km² (under Ashoka the Great)
  14. Mughal Empire - 4 million km²
  15. Hunnic Empire - 4 million km² (under Attila the Hun)
  16. Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²
  17. Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²
  18. Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km² (during World War II)
  19. Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Chandragupta II)
  20. Sassanid Persian Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Khosrau I)
  21. Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²
  22. Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²
  23. Khazar Empire - 3 million km²
  24. Median Empire - 2.8 million km²
  25. Byzantine Empire - 2.7 million km²
  26. Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²
  27. Aksumite Empire - 1.3 million km²
  28. Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²
  29. Harsha Empire - 1 million km² (under Harsha Vardhana)
  30. Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²
  31. Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²
  32. Khmer Empire - 1 million km²
  33. Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²
  34. Pala Empire - 600,000 km²
  35. Nanda Empire - 600,000 km²
  36. Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²
  37. Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²

[edit] Overseas empires

  1. British Empire - 36.6 million km² (under King George V in 1921)
  2. Spanish Empire - 19 million km² (under King Phillip II)
  3. French Empire - 12 million km²
  4. Portuguese Empire - 10 million km²
  5. Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km² (during World War II)
  6. Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
  7. Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²
  8. Chola Empire - 2.5 million km² (under Rajendra Chola I)
  9. Majapahit Empire - 1.5 million km²
  10. Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²

[edit] Ancient empires

  1. Achaemenid Persian Empire - 7.5 million km² (under Darius the Great)
  2. Han Empire - 6 million km²
  3. Roman Empire - 5.6 million km² (under Emperor Trajan)
  4. Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km² (under Alexander the Great)
  5. Maurya Empire - 5 million km² (under Ashoka the Great)
  6. Hunnic Empire - 4 million km² (under Attila the Hun)
  7. Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²
  8. Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Chandragupta II)
  9. Sassanid Persian Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Khosrau I)
  10. Median Empire - 2.8 million km²
  11. Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²
  12. Aksumite Empire - 1.3 million km²
  13. Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²
  14. Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²
  15. Nanda Empire - 600,000 km²
  16. Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²

[edit] Medieval empires

  1. Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km² (under Khublai Khan in 1279)
  2. Arab Empire - 13.2 million km² (under the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I)
  3. Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²
  4. Ottoman Empire - 5.6 million km²
  5. Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²
  6. Mughal Empire - 4 million km²
  7. Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²
  8. Sassanid Persian Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Khosrau I)
  9. Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²
  10. Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²
  11. Khazar Empire - 3 million km²
  12. Byzantine Empire - 2.7 million km²
  13. Chola Empire - 2.5 million km² (under Rajendra Chola I in 1030)
  14. Majapahit Empire - 1.5 million km²
  15. Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²
  16. Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²
  17. Harsha Empire - 1 million km² (under Harsha Vardhana)
  18. Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²
  19. Khmer Empire - 1 million km²
  20. Pala Empire - 600,000 km²
  21. Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²

[edit] Modern empires

  1. British Empire - 36 million km² (under King George V in 1921)
  2. Russian Empire - 22.8 million km² (under Alexander III in 1895)
  3. Spanish Empire - 19 million km² (under Phillip II)
  4. Qing Empire - 12 million km² (under Emperor Qianlong)
  5. French Empire - 12 million km²
  6. Portuguese Empire - 10 million km²
  7. Brazilian Empire - 8 million km²
  8. Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km² (during World War II)
  9. Mughal Empire - 4 million km²
  10. Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
  11. Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²
  12. Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km² (during World War II)

[edit] Largest empires by population

Note: Population estimates are unknown for ancient empires not listed here.

[edit] Population size

  1. British Empire - 531.3 million (in 1938) [11]
  2. Qing Empire - 432 million (in 1912) [12]
  3. Mughal Empire - 175 million (in 1700) [13]
  4. Ming Empire - 160 million (in 1600) [12]
  5. Russian Empire - 156.2 million (in 1913) [12]
  6. Japanese Empire - 134.8 million (in 1938) [11]
  7. French Empire - 112.9 million (in 1938) [11]
  8. Mongol Empire - 110 million (in the 13th century) [14]
  9. Nazi German Empire - 75.4 million (in 1938) [11]
  10. Spanish Empire - 68.2 million [15]
  11. Arab Empire - 62 million (in the 7th century) [16]
  12. Song Empire - 59 million (in 1000) [12]
  13. Han Empire - 57.5 million (in 2 CE) [17]
  14. Roman Empire - 55 million (in the 1st century CE) [18]
  15. Italian Empire - 51.9 million (in 1938) [11]
  16. Maurya Empire - 50 million (in the 2nd century BCE) [19]
  17. Persian Empire - 42 million (in the 4th century BCE) [13]
  18. Ottoman Empire - 39 million (in the 17th century) [20]
  19. Vijayanagara Empire - 25 million (in the 16th century) [10]

[edit] Percentage of world population

  1. Qing Empire - 34% (330 million out of 968 million in 1800) [13]
  2. Maurya Empire - 33.3% (50 million out of 150 million[21] in the 2nd century BCE)
  3. Arab Empire - 29.5% (62 million out of 210 million[21] in the 7th century)
  4. Mughal Empire - 29.2% (175 million out of 600 million[22] in 1700)
  5. Ming Empire - 28.8% (160 million out of 556.2 million in 1600) [12]
  6. Persian Empire - 27.6% (42 million out of 152 million in the 4th century BCE) [13]
  7. Mongol Empire - 25.6% (110 million out of 429 million[13] in the 13th century)
  8. British Empire - 25.6% (458 million[23] out of 1,791 million[12] in 1913)
  9. Han Empire - 25.4% (57.5 million out of 226 million[12] in 2 CE)
  10. Roman Empire - 24.4% (55 million out of 226 million[12] in the 1st century CE)
  11. Song Empire - 22% (59 million out of 268 million in 1000) [12]
  12. Spanish Empire - 12.3% (68.2 million out of 556 million[12] in the 17th century)
  13. Russian Empire - 8.7% (156.2 million out of 1,791 million in 1913) [12]
  14. Ottoman Empire - 7.1% (39 million out of 556 million[12] in the 17th century)
  15. Japanese Empire - 5.9% (134.8 million out of 2,295 million[12] in 1938)
  16. Vijayanagara Empire - 5.7% (25 million out of 438 million[12] in the 16th century)
  17. French Empire - 4.9% (112.9 million out 2,295 million of in 1938)
  18. Nazi German Empire - 3.3% (75.4 million out of 2,295 million in 1938)
  19. Italian Empire - 2.3% (51.9 million out of 2,295 million in 1938)

[edit] Largest empires by economy

Note: GDP estimates in the following list are only given for empires in modern times, from the 18th to 20th centuries.

[edit] GDP size

  1. British Empire - $683.3 billion (in 1938) [11]
  2. Nazi German Empire - $375.6 billion (in 1938) [11]
  3. Japanese Empire - $260.7 billion (in 1938) [11]
  4. Qing Empire - $241.3 billion (in 1912) [12]
  5. French Empire - $234.1 billion (in 1938) [11]
  6. Russian Empire - $232.4 billion (in 1913) [12]
  7. Italian Empire - $143.4 billion (in 1938) [11]
  8. Mughal Empire - $90.8 billion (in 1700) [12]

[edit] Percentage of world GDP

  1. Qing Empire - 32.8% ($228 billion out of $694.4 billion in 1820) [12]
  2. Mughal Empire - 24.5% ($90.8 billion out of $371 billion in 1700) [12]
  3. British Empire - 23.8% ($265 billion[24] out of $1,111 billion[12] in 1870)
  4. Russian Empire - 8.5% ($232.4 billion out of $2,733 billion[12] in 1913)
  5. Nazi German Empire - 8.3% ($375.6 billion out of $4,502 billion[12] in 1938)
  6. Japanese Empire - 5.8% ($260.7 billion out of $4,502 billion in 1938)
  7. French Empire - 5.2% ($234.1 billion out of $4,502 billion in 1938)
  8. Italian Empire - 3.2% ($143.4 billion out of $4,502 billion in 1938)

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Gordon (2005).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Turchin, Adams and Hall (2004).
  3. ^ Wudi (2005) at All Empires estimates 12 million km². Wood (2006) at the Royal Academy also estimates 12 million km². Turchin, Adams and Hall (2004) estimate 14.7 million km². Gordon (2005) estimates 11.1 million km².
  4. ^ British Museum (2005). Forgotten Empire: the world of Ancient Persia.
  5. ^ Chinese History - Tang Dynasty 唐 (618-907) and The Exoticism in Tang (618-907).
  6. ^ This estimate for the Chola Empire is derived from the combined area of the Srivijaya Empire, Pala Empire, South India, Sri Lanka, Lakshadweep, the Maldives, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  7. ^ This estimate for the Majapahit Empire is derived from the combined area of Borneo, Sumatra, Bali, and the Philippines.
  8. ^ a b Chase-Dunn, Álvarez and Pasciuti (2002, p. 8-9).
  9. ^ a b These estimates are derived from the combined area of East India and Bangladesh, which were almost equivalent to the kingdom of Magadha.
  10. ^ a b Sinopoli (2003, p. 82)
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harrison (1998, p. 3).
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Maddison (2006).
  13. ^ a b c d e Biraben (2003).
  14. ^ The combined population of China and Korea in the 13th century was 83 million in Biraben (2003). The combined population of Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Iran, Iraq and Turkey was about 27 million in Maddison (2006).
  15. ^ The combined population of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, United States and the Philippines was 29.2 million in Maddison (2006). The population of Latin America was 39 million in Biraben (2003).
  16. ^ The combined population of Southwest Asia and North Africa was about 57 million in Biraben (2003). The combined population of Spain and Portugal was about 5 million in Maddison (2006).
  17. ^ Han Dynasty Census, 2 CE.
  18. ^ There are several different estimates for the Roman Empire. Goldsmith (1984, p. 263) estimates 55 million, Beloch (1886, p. 507) estimates 54 million, Maddison (2006, p. 51, 120) estimates 48 million, while Roman Empire Population estimates 65 million (but also gives several other estimates between 45 million and 130 million).
  19. ^ Boesche (2003, p. 12)
  20. ^ Quataert (2005, p. 112).
  21. ^ a b McEvedy and Jones (1978).
  22. ^ Thomlinson (1975, Table 1).
  23. ^ Maddison (2001, p. 98 & 242).
  24. ^ The combined GDP of the United Kingdom, British India, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa in 1870 is about $265 billion in Maddison (2006).

[edit] Bibliography

  • J. Beloch (1886), Die Bevölkerung der griechisch–römischen Welt, Duncker and Humblot, Leipzig.
  • Jean-Noël Biraben (2003). "The rising numbers of humankind", Populations & Societies 394.
  • Roger Boesche (2003). "Kautilya’s Arthashastra on War and Diplomacy in Ancient India", The Journal of Military History 67 (p. 9–38).
  • Christopher Chase-Dunn, Alexis Álvarez, and Daniel Pasciuti (2002). Power and Size: Urbanization and Empire Formation in World-Systems Since the Bronze Age. University of California, Riverside.
  • Raymond W. Goldsmith (1984), "An estimate of the size and structure of the national product of the Early Roman Empire", Journal of the International Association for Research in Income and Wealth 30
  • Bruce R. Gordon (2005). To Rule the Earth... (See Bibliography for sources used.)
  • Mark Harrison (1998). The Economics of World War II: Six Great Powers in International Comparison.
  • Angus Maddison (2001). The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective. OECD, Paris.
  • Angus Maddison (2006). The Contours of the World Economy 1-2030 AD. Oxford University Press.
  • Colin McEvedy and Richard Jones (1978), "Atlas of World Population History", Facts on File (p. 342-351). New York.
  • Donald Quataert (2005). The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922.
  • Carla M. Sinopoli (2003). The Political Economy of Craft Production: Crafting Empire in South India, C. 1350-1650.
  • Ralph Thomlinson (1975), Demographic Problems, Controversy Over Population Control, Second Edition.
  • Peter Turchin, Jonathan M. Adams, and Thomas D. Hall (2004). East-West Orientation of Historical Empires. University of Connecticut.
  • Dr Frances Wood (2006). China: The Three Emperors. Royal Academy.
  • Han Wudi (2005). The Qing Empire. All Empires.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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