List of largest empires
Empires at their greatest extent
Table:
Empire

Maximum land area

million km2

million mi2

% of world

Year

British Empire

35.5[3]

13.71

23.84%

1920[3]

Mongol Empire

24.0[3][4]

9.27

16.11%

1270[4] or 1309[3]

Russian Empire[a]

22.8[3][4]

8.80

15.31%

1895[3][4]

Spanish Empire

13.7[3]–20.0[5]

5.29–7.72

9.20%–13.43%

1810[3] or 1750[5]

Qing dynasty

12.16[6]–14.7[3][4]

4.70–5.68

8.16%–9.87%

1820[6] or 1790[3][4]

Second French colonial empire

11.5[3]

4.44

7.72%

1920[3]

Abbasid Caliphate

11.1[3][4]

4.29

7.45%

750[3][4]

Umayyad Caliphate

11.1[3]

4.29

7.45%

720[3]

Yuan dynasty

11.0[3]–13.72[6]

4.25–5.30

7.39%–9.21%

1310[3] or 1330[6]

Xiongnu Empire

9.0[4][7]

3.47

6.04%

176 BC[4][7]

Brazilian Empire

8.337[8]

3.22

5.60%

1889[8]

Empire of Japan

7.4[5]–8.51

2.86–3.285[9]

4.97%–5.71%

1938[5] or 1942[9]

Iberian Union

7.1[3]

2.74

4.77%

1640[3]

Eastern Han dynasty

6.5[7]

2.51

4.36%

100[7]

Ming dynasty

6.5[3][4]

2.51

4.36%

1450[3][4]

Rashidun Caliphate

6.4[3]

2.47

4.30%

655[3]

Göktürk Khaganate

6.0[4][7]

2.32

4.03%

557[4][7]

Golden Horde Khanate

6.0[3][4]

2.32

4.03%

1310[3][4]

Western Han dynasty

6.0[4][7]

2.32

4.03%

50 BC[4][7]

Achaemenid Empire

5.5[4][7]–8.0[10]

2.12–3.09

3.69%–5.37%

500 BC[4][7] or 480 BC[10]

Second Portuguese Empire

5.5[3]–10.4[10]

2.12–4.02

3.69%–6.98%

1820[3] or 1815[10]

Tang dynasty

5.4[3][4]–10.76[6]

2.08–4.15

3.63%–7.22%

715[3][4] or 669[6]

Macedonian Empire

5.2[4][7]

2.01

3.49%

323 BC[4][7]

Ottoman Empire

5.2[3][4]

2.01

3.49%

1683[3][4]

Roman Empire

5.0[4][7]

1.93

3.36%

117[4][7]

Tibetan Empire

4.6[3][4]

1.78

3.09%

800[3][4]

Timurid Empire

4.4[3][4]

1.70

2.95%

1405[3][4]

Fatimid Caliphate

4.1[3][4]

1.58

2.75%

969[3][4]

Eastern Turkic Khaganate

4.0[7]

1.54

2.69%

624[7]

Hephthalite Empire

4.0[7]

1.54

2.69%

470[7]

Hunnic Empire

4.0[4][7]

1.54

2.69%

441[4][7]

Mughal Empire

4.0[3][4]

1.54

2.69%

1690[3][4]

Great Seljuq Empire

3.9[3][4]

1.51

2.62%

1080[3][4]

Seleucid Empire

3.9[4][7]

1.51

2.62%

301 BC[4][7]

Italian Empire

3.798[11]–4.25[12]

1.47–1.64

2.55%–2.85%

1938[11] or 1941[12]

Ilkhanate

3.75[3][4]

1.45

2.52%

1310[3][4]

Chagatai Khanate

3.5[3][4]

1.35

2.35%

1310[3] or 1350[3][4]

Sasanian Empire

3.5[4][7]

1.35

2.35%

550[4][7]

Western Turkic Khaganate

3.5[7]

1.35

2.35%

630[7]

Western Xiongnu

3.5[7]

1.35

2.35%

20[7]

First French colonial empire

3.4[3]

1.31

2.28%

1670[3]

Ghaznavid Empire

3.4[3][4]

1.31

2.28%

1029[3][4]

Maurya Empire

3.4[7]–5.0[4]

1.31–1.93

2.28%–3.36%

261 BC[7] or 250 BC[4]

Delhi Sultanate (Tughlaq dynasty)

3.2[3][4]

1.24

2.15%

1312[3][4]

German colonial empire

3.199[13][14]

1.24

2.15%

1912[14]

Song dynasty

3.1[3][4]

1.20

2.08%

980[3][4]

Uyghur Khaganate

3.1[3][4]

1.20

2.08%

800[3][4]

Western Jin dynasty

3.1[7]

1.20

2.08%

280[7]

Sui dynasty

3.0[7]

1.16

2.01%

589[7]

Samanid Empire

2.85[3][4]

1.10

1.91%

928[3][4]

Eastern Jin dynasty

2.8[7]

1.08

1.88%

347[7]

Median Empire

2.8[4][7]

1.08

1.88%

585 BC[4][7]

Parthian Empire

2.8[4][7]

1.08

1.88%

0[4][7]

Rouran Khaganate

2.8[4][7]

1.08

1.88%

405[4][7]

Byzantine Empire

2.7[4]–2.8[7]

1.04–1.08

1.81%–1.88%

555[4] or 450[7]

Indo-Scythian Kingdom

2.6[7]

1.00

1.75%

20[7]

Liao dynasty

2.6[3][4]

1.00

1.75%

947[3][4]

Greco-Bactrian Kingdom

2.5[7]

0.97

1.68%

184 BC[7]

Later Zhao

2.5[7]

0.97

1.68%

329[7]

Maratha Empire

2.5[4]

0.97

1.68%

1760[4]

Jin dynasty (1115–1234)

2.3[3][4]

0.89

1.54%

1126[3][4]

Khwarazmian Empire

2.3[4]–3.6[3]

0.89–1.39

1.54%–2.42%

1210[4] or 1218[3]

Qin dynasty

2.3[7]

0.89

1.54%

220 BC[7]

First French Empire

2.1[3]

0.81

1.41%

1813[3]

Kievan Rus'

2.1[3][4]

0.81

1.41%

1000[3][4]

Mamluk Sultanate

2.1[3][4]

0.81

1.41%

1300[3] or 1400[4]

Third Portuguese Empire

2.1[3]

0.81

1.41%

1900[3]

Almohad Caliphate

2.0[4]–2.3[3]

0.77–0.89

1.34%–1.54%

1200[4] or 1150[3]

Cao Wei

2.0[7]

0.77

1.34%

263[7]

Former Qin

2.0[7]

0.77

1.34%

376[7]

Former Zhao

2.0[7]

0.77

1.34%

316[7]

Inca Empire

2.0[3][4]

0.77

1.34%

1527[3][4]

Kushan Empire

2.0[4]–2.5[7]

0.77–0.97

1.34%–1.68%

200[4][7]

Liu Song dynasty

2.0[7]

0.77

1.34%

450[7]

Northern Wei

2.0[7]

0.77

1.34%

450[7]

Western Roman Empire

2.0[7]

0.77

1.34%

395[7]

Ayyubid Dynasty

1.7[3]–2.0[4]

0.66–0.77

1.14%–1.34%

1200[3] or 1190[4]

Gupta Empire

1.7[7]–3.5[4]

0.66–1.35

1.14%–2.35%

440[7] or 400[4]

Buyid dynasty

1.6[3][4]

0.62

1.07%

980[3][4]

Eastern Wu

1.5[7]

0.58

1.01%

221[7]

Northern Qi

1.5[7]

0.58

1.01%

557[7]

Northern Xiongnu

1.5[7]

0.58

1.01%

60[7]

Northern Zhou

1.5[7]

0.58

1.01%

577[7]

Assyria

1.4[4][15]

0.54

0.94%

670 BC[4][15]

Eastern Maurya Empire

1.3[7]

0.50

0.87%

210 BC[7]

Liang dynasty

1.3[4][7]

0.50

0.87%

502,[7] 549,[7] or 579[4]

Kingdom of Aksum

1.25[4]

0.48

0.84%

350[4]

Shang dynasty

1.25[4][15]

0.48

0.84%

1122 BC[4][15]

Francia

1.2[3][4]

0.46

0.81%

814[3][4]

Srivijaya

1.2[4]

0.46

0.81%

1200[4]

Indo-Greek Kingdom

1.1[7]

0.42

0.74%

150 BC[7]

Mali Empire

1.1[3][4]

0.42

0.74%

1380[3][4]

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

1.1[3][4]

0.42

0.74%

1480[4] or 1650[3]

Almoravid dynasty

1.0[4]

0.39

0.67%

1120[4]

Empire of Harsha

1.0[3][4]

0.39

0.67%

625[3] or 648[3][4]

Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty

1.0[3]

0.39

0.67%

860[3]

Holy Roman Empire

1.0[3]

0.39

0.67%

1050[3]

Khazar Khanate

1.0[3]–3.0[4]

0.39–1.16

0.67%–2.01%

900[3] or 850[4]

Khmer Empire

1.0[3][4]

0.39

0.67%

1290[3][4]

New Kingdom of Egypt

1.0[4][15]

0.39

0.67%

1450 BC[15] or 1300 BC[4]

Ptolemaic Kingdom

1.0[7]

0.39

0.67%

301 BC[7]

Qara Khitai

1.0[3]–1.5[4]

0.39–0.58

0.67%–1.01%

1130[3] or 1210[4]

Shu Han

1.0[7]

0.39

0.67%

221[7]

Tahirid dynasty

1.0[3]

0.39

0.67%

800[3]

Western Xia

1.0[4]

0.39

0.67%

1100[4]

First Bulgarian Empire

0.807[16]

0.31

0.54%

927[16]

Akkadian Empire

0.8[15]

0.31

0.54%

2250 BC[15]

Avar Khaganate

0.8[7]

0.31

0.54%

600[7]

Chu (state)

0.8[7]

0.31

0.54%

300 BC[7]

First Portuguese Empire

0.8[3]

0.31

0.54%

1580[3]

Huns

0.8[7]

0.31

0.54%

287[7]

Songhai Empire

0.8[3]

0.31

0.54%

1550[3]

Hyksos

0.65[15]

0.25

0.44%

1650 BC[15]

Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt

0.65[15]

0.25

0.44%

550 BC[15]

Austro-Hungarian Empire

0.62

0.24[17]

0.42%

1905[17]

Caliphate of Córdoba

0.6[3]

0.23

0.40%

1000[3]

Visigothic Kingdom

0.6[7]

0.23

0.40%

580[7]

Zhou dynasty

0.55[18]

0.21

0.37%

1100 BC[18]

Kosala

0.5[7]

0.19

0.34%

543 BC[7]

Lydia

0.5[15]

0.19

0.34%

585 BC[15]

Magadha

0.5[7]

0.19

0.34%

510 BC[7]

Middle Kingdom of Egypt

0.5[15]

0.19

0.34%

1850 BC[15]

Neo-Babylonian Empire

0.5[15]

0.19

0.34%

562 BC[15]

Satavahana dynasty

0.5[7]

0.19

0.34%

150[7]

Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt

0.5[15]

0.19

0.34%

715 BC[15]

Western Satraps

0.5[7]

0.19

0.34%

100[7]

Second Bulgarian Empire

0.477[19]

0.18

0.32%

1241[19]

New Hittite Kingdom

0.45[15]

0.17

0.30%

1250 BC–1220 BC[15]

Xia dynasty

0.45[15]

0.17

0.30%

1800 BC[15]

Middle Assyrian Empire

0.4[15]

0.15

0.27%

1080 BC[15]

Old Kingdom of Egypt

0.4[15]

0.15

0.27%

2400 BC[15]

Ancient Carthage

0.3[7]

0.12

0.20%

220 BC[7]

Indus Valley Civilisation

0.3[18]

0.12

0.20%

1800 BC[18]

Mitanni

0.3[15]

0.12

0.20%

1450 BC–1375 BC[15]

First Babylonian Empire

0.25[15]

0.10

0.17%

1690 BC[15]

Aztec Empire

0.22[3]

0.08

0.15%

1520[3]

Elamite Empire

0.2[15]

0.08

0.13%

1160 BC[15]

Phrygia

0.2[15]

0.08

0.13%

750 BC[15]

Second Dynasty of Isin

0.2[15]

0.08

0.13%

1130 BC[15]

Urartu

0.2[15]

0.08

0.13%

800 BC[15]

Middle Hittite Kingdom

0.15[15]

0.06

0.10%

1450 BC[15]

Old Assyrian Empire

0.15[15]

0.06

0.10%

1730 BC[15]

Old Hittite Empire

0.15[15]

0.06

0.10%

1530 BC[15]

Ashanti Empire

0.1[20]

0.04

0.07%

1872[20]

Larsa

0.1[15]

0.04

0.07%

1750 BC–1700 BC[15]

Neo-Sumerian Empire

0.1[15]

0.04

0.07%

2000 BC[15]

Lagash

0.05[18]

0.02

0.03%

2400 BC[18]

Sumer

0.05[15]

0.02

0.03%

2400 BC[15]

^ Its successor state the USSR and its successor in turn, Russia, reached maximum extents of 22.3 million km2 in 1945 and 17.1 million km2 in 1991, respectively.[3]

Based on the tabular data covering 'List of largest empires' titled 'Empires at their greatest extent', give a one-line statement limited to the highlighted cells and format it within the following JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.