The illustration above shows just how big the British Empire was at its territorial peak in the early 1920s. At that time it covered 35.5 million sq km (13.71 million sq mi), which represents 23.84% of the Earth’s land area or equivalent to 93.67% of the Moon’s surface area (37.9 million sq km).
And if that doesn’t surprise you, perhaps the fact that the British Empire was almost exactly twice as large as the surface area of Pluto (17.8 million sq km) will.
Although both the Mongol Empire (24 million sq km) and Russian Empire (22.8 million sq km) were bigger than Pluto as well and the Spanish Empire (13.7 to 20.0 million sq km) may have been depending on when you consider it having reached it’s territorial peak.
The 13 largest Empires (in terms of land area) were:
- British Empire: 23.84% of the world (35.5 million sq km), 1920
- Mongol Empire: 16.11% of the world (24.0 million sq km), 1270 or 1309
- Russian Empire: 15.31% of the world (22.8 million sq km), 1895
- Spanish Empire: 9.20%–13.43% of the world (13.7–20.0 million sq km), 1750 or 1810
- Qing dynasty: 8.80%–9.87% of world (13.1–14.7 million sq km), 1790
- Second French colonial empire: 7.72% of the world (11.5 million sq km), 1920
- Abbasid Caliphate: 7.45% of the world (11.1 million sq km), 750
- Umayyad Caliphate: 7.45% of the world (11.1 million sq km), 720
- Yuan dynasty: 7.39%–9.21% of the world (11.0 – 13.72 million sq km), 1310 or 1330
- Xiongnu Empire: 6.04% of the world (9.0 million sq km), 176 BC
- Brazilian Empire: 5.60% of the world (8.337 million sq km), 1889
- Empire of Japan: 4.97%–5.71% of the world (7.4–8.51 million sq km), 1938 or 1942
- Iberian Union: 4.77% of the world (7.1 million sq km), 1640
For some related books have a look at:
- The Penguin Historical Atlas of the British Empire
- War and Peace and War: The Rise and Fall of Empires
- The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers
- The Rise and Fall of the British Empire
You may also be interested in our previously published map: All The Land In Our Solar System
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David says
The British Empire cannot compare to the Mongol Empire because the the British Empire would mostly conquer peoples that didn’t have guns/cannons the fact that the British Empire didn’t do much within Europe says it all
Gordon McKerrow says
You didn’t think that through.
Matty says
There were no guns in Genghis day either. The British Empire was on all 7 continents & still has oversea territories to this day on all 7. The Mongol Empire collapsed overnight & left no real legacy like the British did all over the world. You sound like a bitter paddy or yank to me. The British battered the French in many wars & defeated other European powers like Spain (Spanish Armada), the Netherlands who were dominate at one point not to mention facist Germany & Italy to name a few. Get over yourself little Dave.
Anonymous says
Even though you didn’t think this through I still think this is cool
Y.D. Robinson says
The British Empire would have been still larger, by at least 3 million km2, if Argentina/Uruguay (and maybe Bolivia as a protected state for a time) had been added, as it almost was in the wake of the British invasions of the River Plate over 215 years ago.