Kingdom of Great Britain: Map & History
The largest empire in human history by total land area, governing over 450 million subjects across all six inhabited continents as "the empire on which the sun never sets."
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe. With an area of 209,331 km2 (80,823 sq mi), it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island, and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is dominated by a maritime climate with narrow temperature differences between seasons. The island of Ireland, with an area 40 per cent that of Great Britain, is to the west. These islands, along with over 1,000 smaller surrounding islands and named substantial rocks, comprise the British Isles archipelago.
Modern Countries Once Part of Kingdom of Great Britain
At its mapped extent, Kingdom of Great Britain covered territory in 20 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Ireland1709–1921 CE · nearly all
- Jordan1936–1939 CE · nearly all
- Cyprus1880–1968 CE · nearly all
- Kuwait1932–1968 CE · nearly all
- Bahrain1895–2023 CE · nearly all
- Malta1800–1968 CE · nearly all
- Qatar1936–2023 CE · nearly all
- United Kingdom1709–2024 CE · most
- Oman1920–2023 CE · most
- Iceland1940–1944 CE · most
- United Arab Emirates1895–2023 CE · most
- Palestine1936–1947 CE · most
- Israel1936–1947 CE · most
- Faroe Islands1941–1944 CE · a large part
- Yemen1840–1968 CE · a large part
- Germany1820–1946 CE · a large part
- Austria1945–1946 CE · a small part
- Greece1917–1918 CE · a small part
- France1794–1796 CE · a small part
- Turkey1919–1923 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Kingdom of Great Britain's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Kingdom of Great Britain in Depth
History
The oldest evidence for archaic humans in Britain are the Happisburgh footprints and associated stone tools found in Norfolk, dating to around 950–850,000 years ago. Prior to 450,000 years ago, Britain formed a peninsular extension of mainland Europe until catastrophic flooding between then and 130,000 years ago resulted in the creation of the English Channel and Britain becoming an island during warm interglacial periods like the Last Interglacial/Eemian (130–115,000 years ago), though it remained connected to mainland Europe during glacial periods when sea levels were low. Archaic humans repeatedly occupied Britain before abandoning the area during cooler periods.
Geography
Great Britain lies on the European continental shelf, part of the Eurasian Plate and off the north-west coast of continental Europe, separated from this European mainland by the North Sea and by the English Channel, which narrows to 34 km (18 nmi; 21 mi) at the Straits of Dover. It stretches over about ten degrees of latitude on its longer, north–south axis and covers 209,331 km2 (80,823 sq mi), excluding the much smaller surrounding islands. The North Channel, Irish Sea, St George's Channel and Celtic Sea separate the island from the island of Ireland to its west. The island is since 1993 joined, via one structure, with continental Europe: the Channel Tunnel, the longest undersea rail tunnel in the world.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Great Britain (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Interactive map
British Colonial Empire on the World War I map →
See British Colonial Empire’s territory change day by day from 4 August 1914, with every battle it fought.
Interactive map
British Empire on the World War II map →
See British Empire’s territory change day by day from 3 September 1939, with every battle it fought.
Kingdom of Great Britain Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Kingdom of Great Britain appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Built through naval supremacy via the Royal Navy, joint-stock trading monopolies (East India Company), and industrial manufacturing, the British Empire transformed global commerce, law, and language. At its zenith following World War I, it spanned 35.5 million square kilometers—encompassing India, Canada, Australia, extensive swaths of Africa, and key global choke points like Gibraltar, Suez, and Singapore.
Kingdom of Great Britain Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Establishment of the first permanent English settlement in North America.
Robert Clive defeats Siraj-ud-Daulah, initiating territorial rule in India.
Pax Britannica commences with unchallenged Royal Navy dominance of the oceans.
Queen Victoria assumes the imperial title over the British Raj.
Post-WWI League of Nations mandates push the empire to 35.5 million km².
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓Global dissemination of the English language as the premier lingua franca
- ✓Diffusion of common law jurisprudence and parliamentary constitutional systems
- ✓Construction of trans-continental railways, undersea telegraph cables, and maritime charts
- ✓Establishment of global financial, insurance, and maritime standards (Greenwich Mean Time)
Kingdom of Great Britain: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Kingdom of Great Britain exist?
The Kingdom of Great Britain is dated to 1607 CE – 1997 CE (Peak: 1921 CE), in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of the Kingdom of Great Britain?
The capital of the Kingdom of Great Britain was London.
How large was the Kingdom of Great Britain at its peak?
At its peak in 1921 the Kingdom of Great Britain covered about 1,005,115 km².
How did the map of the Kingdom of Great Britain change over time?
The Kingdom of Great Britain appears on 5 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1800 CE to 1945 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Geographic Lifelines
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad