How big was the British Empire at its largest?
At its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1913 the British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23 per cent of the world population at the time, and by 1920 it covered 35,500,000 km2 (13,700,000 sq mi), 24 per cent of the Earth’s total land area.
Who has the biggest empire ever?
1) The British Empire was the largest empire the world has ever seen. The British Empire covered 13.01 million square miles of land – more than 22% of the earth’s landmass. The empire had 458 million people in 1938 — more than 20% of the world’s population.
Who was the biggest empire in history?
Largest Empires In History
| Rank | Empire | Maximum land area (in million km2) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | British Empire | 35.5 |
| 2 | Mongol Empire | 24 |
| 3 | Russian Empire | 22.8 |
| 4 | Qing dynasty | 14.7 |
What made the British Empire so powerful?
With land, with trade, with goods, and with literal human resources, the British Empire could grab more and more power. Profitability was key to British expansion, and the age of exploration brought wonderous and addictive delights to the British Empire.
What were the 5 biggest empires?
- British Empire – 35.5 million km.
- Mongol Empire – 24 million km.
- Russian Empire – 22.8 million km.
- Qing Dynasty – 14.7 million km.
- Spanish Empire – 13.7 million km.
- Second French Colonial Empire – 11.5 million km.
- Abbasid Caliphate – 11.1 million km.
- Umayyad Caliphate – 11.1 million km.
Was the British Empire bigger than the French empire?
During the 19th and 20th centuries, the French colonial empire was the second largest colonial empire in the world only behind the British Empire; it extended over 13,500,000 km2 (5,200,000 sq mi) of land at its height in the 1920s and 1930s.