Borders over time
The Americas’ borders, 700 BCE to 2024
The Aztec and Inca empires, the Spanish, Portuguese, French and British colonies, independence across two continents and the growth of the United States.
every year drawn: 2,724 years
the borders change in 232 of them
Loading 2,724 years of borders…
700BCE
Largest on the map
—
The big changes, year by year
53 changesEvery year in which a large state — over 100,000 km² inside this view — appears on the map or vanishes from it. Smaller shifts happen in many more years; press play above to see them all.
- 247 BCE
New: Mayan City-States
- 850
New: Later Mayan City-States
Gone: Mayan City-States
- 1516
New: Spanish Empire
Gone: Crown of Castile
- 1519
New: Kingdom of Spain
Gone: Spanish Empire
- 1521
New: Spanish Empire
Gone: Kingdom of Spain, Aztec Triple Alliance
- 1547
Gone: Later Mayan City-States
- 1582
Gone: Portuguese Empire
- 1595
New: Jesuit Reducciones
- 1640
New: Portuguese Empire
- 1709
New: British Colonial Empire
- 1713
Gone: English Colonial Empire
- 1769
Gone: Jesuit Reducciones
- 1776
- 1805
Gone: French Louisiana
- 1811
New: New Granada, Republic of Venezuela, Mexicans, Paraguay, Río de la Plata
- 1812
New: Guayaquil Junta, Republic of Chile
Gone: Republic of Venezuela
- 1814
New: Cundinamarca, Federal League, Republic of Venezuela
Gone: Guayaquil Junta
- 1815
Gone: Republic of Chile, Cundinamarca, Republic of Venezuela
- 1820
New: Republic of Chile
Gone: Federal League, Mexicans
- 1822
New: Empire of Brazil, Gran Colombia, First Mexican Empire, Republic of Peru
Gone: Portuguese Empire, New Granada
- 1824
New: United Provinces of Central America, Federated Republic of Mexico
Gone: First Mexican Empire
- 1825
New: Bolivia
- 1828
New: Oriental Republic of Uruguay
- 1834
New: Venezuela, Republic of New Granada, Republic of Ecuador, Argentine Confederation
Gone: Gran Colombia, Río de la Plata
- 1836
New: Peru-Bolivian Confederation, Centralist Mexico, Riograndense Republic, Republic of Texas
Gone: Bolivia, Republic of Peru
- 1840
New: Honduras, Republic of the Rio Grande, Bolivia, Republic of Peru, Republic of Nicaragua
Gone: United Provinces of Central America, Peru-Bolivian Confederation
- 1842
Gone: Republic of the Rio Grande
- 1846
Gone: Republic of Texas, Riograndense Republic
- 1853
New: Republic of Baja California, State of Buenos Aires
- 1856
Gone: Republic of Nicaragua
- 1857
New: Republic of Nicaragua
Gone: Republic of Baja California
- 1859
New: Granadine Confederation
Gone: Republic of New Granada
- 1861
New: Confederate States of America
Gone: State of Buenos Aires
- 1863
New: United States of Colombia
Gone: Granadine Confederation
- 1864
New: Mexican Monarchists
- 1865
New: Second Mexican Empire
Gone: Mexican Monarchists
- 1866
New: Republic of Colombia
Gone: Confederate States of America, United States of Colombia
- 1868
New: Mexico
Gone: Second Mexican Empire
- 1873
New: First Spanish Republic
Gone: Spanish Empire
- 1877
New: Paraguay, Kingdom of Spain
Gone: First Spanish Republic
- 1890
New: Brazilian Republic
Gone: Empire of Brazil
- 1905
New: Republic of Cuba
- 1908
Gone: Republic of Cuba
- 1911
New: Republic of Cuba
- 1913
Gone: Mexico
- 1920
New: Mexico
- 1930
New: Argentine Republic
Gone: Argentine Confederation
- 1932
New: Canada, Unitary State of Brazil
Gone: Brazilian Republic
- 1946
New: Brazilian Republic
Gone: Unitary State of Brazil
- 1960
New: Communist Cuba
Gone: Republic of Cuba
- 1967
New: Federated Republic of Brazil, Guyana
Gone: Brazilian Republic
- 1976
New: Republic of Suriname
- 1987
New: Republic of Brazil
Gone: Federated Republic of Brazil
More time-lapses
Borders from Cliopatria by the Seshat Global History Databank, licensed CC BY 4.0; simplified, clipped to this view and coloured by empire here. Each shape records the years it applies to, so every year has its own map; pre-modern borders are approximate. Areas are measured on the sphere. The full atlas uses a different source and may differ in places.