Historical atlas · Map guide
Historical world map in 1900
Explore the world on 1 January 1900. This historical world map shows countries, colonies, and other territories at that date. Pan to a region, inspect a boundary, and compare another year on the timeline.
Countries, colonies, and empires in 1900
The Countries layer shows countries, colonies, and dependencies. Select a colored area to read its name and historical period, or search for a territory to find it on the map.
Switch to Empires & unions to explore larger political groupings. The map starts on 1 January; move the month and day controls to explore changes later in 1900.
Compare the world map in 1900 with another year
Use the region controls to focus on Europe, East Asia, Africa, or the Americas. Change the Year field while keeping the camera fixed to compare the same area. The previous and next change controls jump to dates recorded in the active territory layer, rather than advancing by an arbitrary number of years.
Enable All periods in the search panel to find territories outside the current date. Select a result and use Go to this period to move the timeline to its start date.
Territories in this starting view
Explore these territories at this page's starting date. The Countries layer contains 183 active territory records worldwide at this date.
| Territory | Recorded start | Recorded end |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1899-04-11 | 1900-04-17 |
| Russian Empire | 1898 | 1905 |
| Colony of New Zealand | 1887-01-18 | 1901-06-11 |
| Kingdom of the Netherlands | 1848-10-14 | 1949-04-23 |
| Dominion of Canada | 1880-09-01 | 1903-10-20 |
| New Caledonia | 1888-02-16 | 1943-03-14 |
How to use the historical map
- Enter a year and choose CE or BCE. Set the month and day when you need a particular date.
- Choose a region or drag the map to the area you want to investigate.
- Search for a territory and open its details. Enable All periods to search outside the current date.
- Move the timeline, play it automatically, or jump to the previous or next recorded boundary change.
- Use Share view to copy the current date and camera. Export GeoJSON to download the active records in the selected layer.
Questions about historical maps
What is a historical map?
A historical map represents geography at a specified past date or period. This atlas reconstructs recorded political boundaries on a modern coastline. It is a dated border viewer, rather than a collection of scanned maps printed in the past.
How do I see country borders in a particular year?
Enter the year, choose CE or BCE, and set the month and day. The map displays records whose start date has been reached and whose end date has not yet been reached. Use the region controls to move the camera without changing the selected date.
Which years does the timeline cover?
You can choose dates from 8000 BCE through 29 September 2026. Use Ancient, Pre-modern, Modern, or All time to change the timeline range, then enter a year or drag the timeline to explore a particular date.
Can I download the historical map as GeoJSON?
Yes. Use Export GeoJSON for the current date to download the territories displayed in the selected country or empire layer. Choose the date and layer before exporting to save that view's boundaries.