Mongol Empire vs British Empire
At its height the British Empire (about 36 million km² in 1920) was about one and a half times the size of the Mongol Empire (about 24 million km² in 1270). The British Empire lasted about 397 years (c. 1600 to 1997), the Mongol Empire about 162 (1206 to 1368). They never existed at the same time: the British Empire began 232 years after the Mongol Empire ended.
| Mongol Empire | British Empire | |
|---|---|---|
| Began | 1206 | c. 1600 |
| Ended | 1368 | 1997 |
| Lasted | about 162 years | about 397 years |
| Largest extent | about 24 million km² (1270) | about 36 million km² (1920) |
| Share of the world’s land | 16.1% | 23.8% |
| Capital | Karakorum | London |
Mongol Empire
Founded when Temüjin was proclaimed Genghis Khan in 1206, it became the largest contiguous land empire in history. By the 1260s it had split into four khanates: the Yuan, the Golden Horde, the Chagatai Khanate and the Ilkhanate.
Began 1206: Temüjin is proclaimed Genghis Khan. Ended 1368: the Yuan dynasty is driven out of China.
On the history map: World map in 1279 CE, World map in 1300 CE
British Empire
Grown from trading posts and colonies from around 1600, it covered about a quarter of the world’s land by 1920, the largest empire in history. Most of it became independent between 1947 and the 1960s.
Began c. 1600: the first lasting overseas trading companies and colonies. Ended 1997: Hong Kong is handed to China.
On the history map: World map in 1600 CE, World map in 1880 CE, World map in 1994 CE
More comparisons
- Roman Empire vs Mongol Empire — about 5.0 million km² vs about 24 million km²
- Roman Empire vs Han dynasty — about 5.0 million km² vs about 6.0 million km²
- Roman Empire vs Byzantine Empire — about 5.0 million km² vs about 2.7 million km²
- Roman Empire vs Ottoman Empire — about 5.0 million km² vs about 5.2 million km²
- Roman Empire vs Achaemenid Empire — about 5.0 million km² vs about 5.5 million km²
- Roman Empire vs British Empire — about 5.0 million km² vs about 36 million km²
- Mongol Empire vs Russian Empire — about 24 million km² vs about 23 million km²
- Ottoman Empire vs Byzantine Empire — about 5.2 million km² vs about 2.7 million km²
- Ottoman Empire vs Mughal Empire — about 5.2 million km² vs about 4.0 million km²
- Ottoman Empire vs Russian Empire — about 5.2 million km² vs about 23 million km²
- Achaemenid Empire vs Macedonian Empire — about 5.5 million km² vs about 5.2 million km²
- Han dynasty vs Tang dynasty — about 6.0 million km² vs about 5.4 million km²
- Tang dynasty vs Abbasid Caliphate — about 5.4 million km² vs about 11 million km²
- Umayyad Caliphate vs Abbasid Caliphate — about 11 million km² vs about 11 million km²
- British Empire vs Spanish Empire — about 36 million km² vs about 14 million km²
- Spanish Empire vs Inca Empire — about 14 million km² vs about 2.0 million km²
Compare empires · The interactive history atlas
Largest extents are the widely cited estimates by Rein Taagepera and others, as listed in Wikipedia’s List of largest empires. Dates are the conventional ones; several are debated. Shares are of the world’s land area, about 148.9 million km².