British Empire Map: Territories by Region, Peak Size and Historic Maps
The British Empire map explained region by region: which territories it held and when, how large it was in 1837, 1897 and around 1920, and where to see reliable historic maps.
Last updated September 2026
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A British Empire map from 1800 looks nothing like one from 1920 or 1960. The empire grew and shrank over four centuries. So any map is a snapshot of one date.
This page sets out what the map covered, region by region. It gives the size figures that old sources give. It also shows where to find reliable old maps to view.
TL;DR: The British Empire map spread across North America, the Caribbean, India, Africa, Australia and the Pacific. An atlas of 1897 put it at about 7.95 million square miles in 1837 and 11.07 million in 1897. It peaked around 1920. Its size then is usually given as about a quarter of the world's land. It shrank fast after 1947.
The British Empire map, region by region
| Region | Main territories | Under British rule | Independence or change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Thirteen colonies; Canada | 1607 onwards; Canada from 1763 | US independence recognised 1783; Canada a self-governing Dominion from 1867 |
| Caribbean | Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, the Bahamas and others | 1600s onwards | Mostly 1962-1983 |
| South Asia | India, including today's Pakistan and Bangladesh; Ceylon; Burma | Company rule from the 1700s; Crown rule 1858 | 1947-1948 |
| Oceania | Australia, New Zealand, Fiji | Australia from 1788; New Zealand from 1840 | Australia federated 1901; full self-government confirmed 1931 onward |
| Southern Africa | Cape Colony, Natal, later South Africa; Rhodesia | Cape from 1806 | Union of South Africa 1910; Zimbabwe 1980 |
| East and West Africa | Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Gold Coast (Ghana) and others | Mostly 1880s-1900s | 1957-1968 |
| Middle East | Egypt (occupied); mandates of Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq | 1882 onwards; mandates from about 1920 | 1922-1948 |
| East Asia | Hong Kong; Malaya; Singapore | Hong Kong from 1842; Singapore from 1819 | Malaya 1957; Singapore via Malaysia 1963; Hong Kong to China 1997 |
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The map also included many islands and bases, such as Gibraltar, Malta, St Helena and the Falkland Islands. Some are still British Overseas Territories today.
How big was the British Empire?
Size figures depend on the date and on what is counted. An atlas published in 1897, the year of Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, printed its own figures.
| Year | Area given | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1837 | 7,951,924 square miles | The Victoria Atlas, 1897 (The National Archives) | Reviewed |
| 1897 | 11,074,761 square miles | The Victoria Atlas, 1897 (The National Archives) | Reviewed |
| About 1920 | About a quarter of the world's land | Common estimate; figures vary | Disputed |
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The peak size of the empire
Greatest extent of the British Empire, about 1920.
Status: Disputed. Estimates differ.
Note: After 1919 Britain added League of Nations mandates in Africa and the Middle East. Most reference works say the empire then covered about a quarter of the world's land. They say it ruled about a fifth of the world's people.
Exact totals vary. Sources treat mandates, protectorates and claimed polar land differently. So this site gives the share, not a single figure.
Sources: Britannica, "British Empire"; The National Archives, "The Victoria Atlas" (archived 2026).
Reading a historic British Empire map
Late Victorian maps tend to share a few features. British land is shaded red or pink. The map is often centred on the Greenwich meridian, which puts Britain near the middle. Many use the Mercator projection. It makes lands far from the equator, such as Canada, look much larger than they are.
That last point matters. On a Mercator map, Canada and Australia dominate. India held most of the empire's people. Yet it looks smaller than its weight in people.
Where to view historic maps
These are original maps held by established archives.
- The Howard Vincent map of the British Empire, 1897, at The National Archives.
- "Imperial Federation: Map of the World Showing the Extent of the British Empire in 1886", at the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.
- The Victoria Atlas of 1897, with its "Progress of the Empire" figures, in The National Archives' archived education pages.
For a map of Europe's other great land empire, see the Russian Empire map page.
The map today
After 1947 the map shrank fast. By the 1980s only small territories were left. The UK's official list, updated in September 2026, names 14 British Overseas Territories.
They include Gibraltar, Bermuda, the Falkland Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory. In 2025 the UK signed a deal to hand the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. The archipelago makes up that last territory. For the history, see empire of Great Britain.
For the monarchs who reigned over the empire, see our guide to the best books about the royal family. It includes Julia Baird's life of Victoria.
Verdict: using a British Empire map well
A British Empire map is only accurate for its date. One atlas of the time says the empire grew by about 40 per cent in area between 1837 and 1897. It peaked around 1920 at about a quarter of the world's land.
Treat single peak figures with care. Check which projection a map uses. Prefer maps held by archives such as The National Archives. For how the empire relates to today's UK, see British Empire and the UK.
For every monarch since 1066, with the disputed records, see the England royal family page.
Sources checked for this page
- The National Archives, "The Victoria Atlas" (archived 2026)
- The National Archives, "The Howard Vincent map of the British Empire, 1897"
- David Rumsey Historical Map Collection, "Extent of the British Empire in 1886"
- Britannica, "British Empire"
- GOV.UK, "UK Overseas Territory names"
- GOV.UK, "UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia"
Questions people also ask
Why were British Empire maps coloured pink or red?
Mapmakers in the late 1800s and early 1900s often shaded British territory in red or pink so readers could see its spread at a glance. It was a convention, not an official rule.
How big was the British Empire at its peak?
Around 1920 it is usually put at about a quarter of the world's land area. Exact figures differ between sources, depending on how mandates and claimed areas are counted.
What does 'the empire on which the sun never sets' mean?
British territories were spread so widely around the globe that it was always daytime in at least one of them.
Where can I see historic maps of the British Empire?
The National Archives holds the 1897 Howard Vincent map, and the David Rumsey Map Collection has the 1886 'Imperial Federation' world map, both viewable online.