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What If the Mongol Empire Reunited….?

April 20, 2015 10 Comments

Mongol Empire Reunited

Map created by reddit user Trapper777_

The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land based empire in history. So what would a modern Mongol state look like today if it hadn’t disappeared?

Well here are a few facts and a map courtesy of reddit user Trapper777_:

  • It would be by far the world’s largest country at 35 million km2 (twice the size of Russia)
  • It would be by far the world’s most populous country with 2.2 billion people (60% more than China)
  • It would be by far the world’s largest economy at $29.2 Trillion USD (PPP) (70% bigger than either the US or China)
  • It would have by far the world’s largest army with 9.75 million active military personnel (6.5X larger than the military of the United States)
  • It’s biggest city would be Shanghai, which while not the largest metropolitan area on earth, is the biggest city based on city limits.

Many people on reddit have criticized the map because it’s based on modern borders, which while fair, misses the point slightly. Trapper777_ responded that:

First, how would you organize it otherwise? Especially with GDP and Active Military personnel, you would be hard-pressed to find good data at the subnational level.

Second, the modern borders match the old ones pretty closely. I count five countries – Russia, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq, and Romania – where there is any ambiguity.

Given that this is just a thought experiment, I think that their approach makes the most sense. In case you’re wondering the amazing map below shows the actual growth (and partition) of the Mongol Empire overlaid on modern borders:

Mongol Empire map

Map created by Astrokey44 via Wikimedia

Want to learn more about the Mongol Empire or other What If history? Then have a look at:

  • Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
  • The Rise and Fall of the Second Largest Empire in History: How Genghis Khan’s Mongols Almost Conquered the World
  • What If?: The World’s Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been

Would you want to live in a modern Mongol Empire? Why or why not? Leave your comments below:

Filed Under: Fictional, History Tagged With: Mongol

Comments

  1. Arturo Palma says

    April 20, 2015 at 7:44 pm

    the first map is absurd, as the mongols never reached the arctic ocean. the second map is more accurate

    Reply
    • feef says

      May 29, 2015 at 11:22 am

      No they owed Siberia that word Siberia is Mongolian word. Also it its said that Mongolians came from Siberia. Most of Siberian indigenous people are similar to Mongols and their language is absolutely similar with Mongols.

      Reply
  2. Macker says

    April 26, 2015 at 1:37 pm

    Would a modern Mongol Empire have any Mohammedans in it?

    Reply
  3. Otto von Bismarck says

    April 18, 2016 at 3:08 pm

    Terrible first map-do you not even check? The Mongols did not rule over the entirety of Russia, Pakistan and Turkey as suggested here.

    Reply
    • Tumurbaatar says

      June 6, 2019 at 8:57 pm

      Overtime they could have

      Reply
      • IZZY says

        March 26, 2021 at 10:12 am

        yeah otto !!!!

        Reply
  4. mP says

    November 10, 2019 at 11:03 am

    How could the economy be worth anything with all their raping and killing ?

    Reply
    • IZZY says

      March 26, 2021 at 10:11 am

      THESE THINGS HAVE NO IMPACT ON STOCKS AND SHARES

      Reply
  5. Brendon Wall says

    July 23, 2020 at 7:55 am

    The point of the economy is based on the modern countries in which the empire would have occupied and their current GDPs, not the mongol’s former economy.

    Reply
  6. Lyn Hill says

    June 20, 2021 at 2:07 am

    So Genghis Khan only ruled for the first 20 years ? And the other Khans that came after are the ones who extended into this huge empire. Some only ruling for a couple years.

    Reply

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