List of largest empires in India
This is a historical list of the largest empires in India with an area covering more than 1 million square kilometres. An empire involves the extension of a state's sovereignty over external territories. The values given here should generally be interpreted as being only indicative, and not as determining a precise ranking. The calculation of the land area of a particular empire is controversial. In general, the list centres on the side of including any land area that was explored and explicitly claimed, even if the areas were populated very sparsely or not at all.
| Empire | Approximate maximum extent (Area in km²) | Size as percentage of area of Republic of India | Approximate date of maximum extent | Estimate by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maurya Empire | 5,000,000 | 152% | 250 BC | Peter Turchin et al.[1] |
| British Raj | 4,574,000[lower-alpha 1] | 139% | 1911 | Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.)[2] |
| Mughal Empire | 4,000,000 | 122% | 1690 | Peter Turchin et al.[1] |
| Gupta Empire | 3,500,000 | 106% | 400 | Peter Turchin et al.[1] |
| Republic of India (for comparison) | 3,287,263 | 100% | - | Government of India[3] |
| Delhi Sultanate | 3,200,000 | 97% | 1312 | Peter Turchin et al.[1] |
| Maratha Empire | 2,500,000 | 76% | 1760 | Peter Turchin et al.[1] |
| Kushan Empire | 2,000,000 | 61% | 200 | Peter Turchin et al.[1] |
| Empire of Harsha | 1,000,000 | 30% | 648 | Peter Turchin et al.[1] |
- The area given here includes Burma (modern day Myanmar).
See also
References
- Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires". Journal of World-Systems Research. 12 (2): 223. ISSN 1076-156X. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Independence, Declaration of" to "Indo-.
- "India: Profile". National Portal of India. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
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