Geographic History

World map in 1820

215 states share the map in 1820. The largest by mapped area are Russia, Qing and United Kingdom.

Russia is the largest state on the map in 1820, a position it has held since 1633 (before that: Spanish Empire). It stays in first place until 1917, when United Kingdom takes over. The five largest states hold 52% of all land with a recorded ruler. 24% of the land on the map has no recorded state. The number of states is about the same as in 1815: 215 against 220.

Historical map of the world in 1820 showing the borders of states and empires
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The world in 1820, colored by ruling state. Grey land has no state recorded in the dataset.

Largest states in 1820

StateMapped areaProvinces
Russia17 million km²232
Qing12 million km²183
United Kingdom11 million km²207
Kingdom of Portugal7.6 million km²99
Ottoman Empire4.1 million km²133
Mexico3.3 million km²91
Spanish Empire3.1 million km²97
Gran Colombia3 million km²45
United States of America3 million km²123
Argentina2.1 million km²29

What changed since 1815

  • On the map, Gran Colombia takes the place of United provinces of New Granada (about 780 thousand km²).
  • On the map, Gran Colombia takes the place of Venezuela (about 610 thousand km²).
  • On the map, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies takes the place of Kingdom of Naples (about 76 thousand km²).
  • Apart from that, 122 provinces changed hands between 1815 and 1820.
  • Argentina gained about 2.1 million km², mostly from Spanish Empire.
  • Gran Colombia gained about 1.6 million km², mostly from Spanish Empire and land with no recorded state.
  • Ottoman Empire gained about 760 thousand km², mostly from Diriyah.
  • United Kingdom gained about 560 thousand km², mostly from Marathas and Nagpur.
  • New on the map: Argentina, Dawasir, Zafunu, Hadoti and Luxembourg.
  • No longer on the map: Diriyah, Kashmir, Caddo, Manipur and Thuringia.

Battles, 1820 - 1829

  • 1821Erzurum
    Turkish-Persian War - won by Persia
  • 1821Rieti
    Italian Revolt Against Austria - won by Austria
  • 1822Devernaki
    Greek War of Independence - won by Greek Rebels
  • 1823Takoon
    Cape Frontier Wars - won by Cape Colony
  • 1823Trocadera
    Franco-Spanish War - won by France
  • 1824Rangoon
    1st British-Burmese War - won by United Kingdom
  • 1825Bharatpur
    British-Maratha Wars - won by Untied Kingdom
  • 1826Yelizavetpol
    Russo-Persian Wars - won by Russia
  • 1827Abbasabad
    Russo-Persian Wars - won by Russia
  • 1827Navarino
    Greek War of Independence - won by United Kingdom, Russia, France
  • 1828Silistria
    Russo-Turkish Wars - won by Russia
  • 1828Akhaltsikhe
    Russo-Turkish Wars - won by Russia

Empire maps for this period

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