Loaf Warden
(no party affiliation)
Here is the list of the top ten largest nations, by land area, in the history of the world. This information is taken from http://ellone-loire.net/obsidian/earthrul.html. The site seems to be generally reliable, so until new evidence comes up, I regard this information as accurate. Those who go to that page, however, will notice that I have altered the list somewhat, for one reason only: the compiler of this list seems to regard the Axis Powers and the Cold War-era Communist world as being equivalent to single states. I do not. Even if the Axis had taken over the entire world in World War II, no single person or governing body would have controlled it all. Germany and Japan and Italy, among others, would have had their own separate holdings. Similarly, no one person or governing body controlled all the members of the Communist world. If the Communist world qualifies as an 'empire' simply because of influence and ideology, then surely so does NATO. But that wasn't included on the site.
Numbers, as noted on the original site, reflect the size of the nations at the time of their greatest territorial extent. Lands that had been lost before the nation reached its greatest size don't count.
Comments given for each entry are my own, though I freely admit that in many cases I'm simply paraphrasing the site. Credit where credit is due. It's not like I have the time to do all the research to put a list like this together myself.
10. At 3,849,000 square miles (9,968,910 square kilometers) :
The Dominion of Canada
The second largest nation on Earth at the time of this post is also the tenth largest nation in history.
9. At 4,000,000 sq. miles (10,360,000 sq. km) :
The Portuguese Empire
Reached its greatest extent around 1815, when it controlled much of South America and Africa.
8. At 4,300,000 sq. miles (11,137,000 sq. km) :
Qing Dynasty China
The Manchus controlled all of what now constitues the People's Republic of China, as well as Mongolia and some land bordering Manchuria that now belongs to Russia. (It also had several vassal states which probably don't count toward the total.)
7. At 4,863,000 sq. miles (12,595,170 sq. km) :
The French Empire
Long after the loss of Quebec and Louisiana, the French expanded their empire to an even greater extent by taking over most of western Africa.
6. At 5,100,000 sq. miles (13,209,000 sq. km) :
The Caliphate
For a time in the Middle Ages, the entire Muslim world was headed by a single ruler, the Caliph. The Caliphate stretched from Spain to central Asia in the early days, though it was not long before it started to fragment into separate states.
5. At 6,592,000 sq. miles (17,073,280 sq. km) :
The Russian Federation
The largest nation in the world today, by land area.
4. At 7,500,000 sq. miles (19,425,000 sq. km) :
The Spanish Empire
Its greatest extent was in the late 18th century, when it controlled a great deal of the American landmass and portions of the Pacific.
3. At 9,883,591 sq. miles (25,598,500 sq km) :
The Soviet Bloc
The site this information came from would have us accept the entire Communist world in the Cold War era as a single body, and placed it at number 2 on the list. I do not accept China etc. as a part of the same nation as the Soviet Union, so I use the smaller number given, for the "Soviet Bloc" rather than for "The entire Communist world". Even so, the Soviet Bloc is meant to include Cuba, and no doubt other nations that I would have left out. Still, since I'm not sure of what all is being included, I can't filter them out and arrive at my own number.
2. At 12,800,000 sq. miles (33,152,000 sq. km) :
The Mongol Empire
Yes, folks, the Mongol Empire at its greatest extent, in the early 13th century, was larger than the Soviet Union. It did not stay together long, however, and quickly fragmented.
1. And the number one largest nation in the history of the world, at 14,157,000 sq. miles (36,666,630 sq. km) is:
.
.
.
The British Empire
No surprise here, I think. Its greatest extent was reached just after World War I. British holdings around the world at the time already included, among other things, Canada, Australia, the entire Indian subcontinent, and so much land in Africa that one could walk from Cairo to Cape Town without ever leaving British territory, if one could avoid malaria and other hazards of walking in Africa. This already enormous empire was made slightly larger in the years just after World War I, when new portions of the Middle East came under British control.
So there it is. No major problems were solved here, but a good time was had by all.
The site itself gives the top 25, but I thought putting in more than ten in this format might be tedious. For those that are curious, the United States fell just shy of the top ten, as I define it, occupying slot eleven, just below Canada. (Though that's not the United States as it exists today, but as it was back when we still controlled the Philippines, among other things.) Brazil is right below the United States, and Australia is right below Brazil. The Roman Empire at its greatest extent, during the brief period when it controlled Mesopotamia, is three slots below Australia. The Ottoman Empire is just below Rome, and Alexander's Macedon is just below that.
Numbers, as noted on the original site, reflect the size of the nations at the time of their greatest territorial extent. Lands that had been lost before the nation reached its greatest size don't count.
Comments given for each entry are my own, though I freely admit that in many cases I'm simply paraphrasing the site. Credit where credit is due. It's not like I have the time to do all the research to put a list like this together myself.
10. At 3,849,000 square miles (9,968,910 square kilometers) :
The Dominion of Canada
The second largest nation on Earth at the time of this post is also the tenth largest nation in history.
9. At 4,000,000 sq. miles (10,360,000 sq. km) :
The Portuguese Empire
Reached its greatest extent around 1815, when it controlled much of South America and Africa.
8. At 4,300,000 sq. miles (11,137,000 sq. km) :
Qing Dynasty China
The Manchus controlled all of what now constitues the People's Republic of China, as well as Mongolia and some land bordering Manchuria that now belongs to Russia. (It also had several vassal states which probably don't count toward the total.)
7. At 4,863,000 sq. miles (12,595,170 sq. km) :
The French Empire
Long after the loss of Quebec and Louisiana, the French expanded their empire to an even greater extent by taking over most of western Africa.
6. At 5,100,000 sq. miles (13,209,000 sq. km) :
The Caliphate
For a time in the Middle Ages, the entire Muslim world was headed by a single ruler, the Caliph. The Caliphate stretched from Spain to central Asia in the early days, though it was not long before it started to fragment into separate states.
5. At 6,592,000 sq. miles (17,073,280 sq. km) :
The Russian Federation
The largest nation in the world today, by land area.
4. At 7,500,000 sq. miles (19,425,000 sq. km) :
The Spanish Empire
Its greatest extent was in the late 18th century, when it controlled a great deal of the American landmass and portions of the Pacific.
3. At 9,883,591 sq. miles (25,598,500 sq km) :
The Soviet Bloc
The site this information came from would have us accept the entire Communist world in the Cold War era as a single body, and placed it at number 2 on the list. I do not accept China etc. as a part of the same nation as the Soviet Union, so I use the smaller number given, for the "Soviet Bloc" rather than for "The entire Communist world". Even so, the Soviet Bloc is meant to include Cuba, and no doubt other nations that I would have left out. Still, since I'm not sure of what all is being included, I can't filter them out and arrive at my own number.
2. At 12,800,000 sq. miles (33,152,000 sq. km) :
The Mongol Empire
Yes, folks, the Mongol Empire at its greatest extent, in the early 13th century, was larger than the Soviet Union. It did not stay together long, however, and quickly fragmented.
1. And the number one largest nation in the history of the world, at 14,157,000 sq. miles (36,666,630 sq. km) is:
.
.
.
The British Empire
No surprise here, I think. Its greatest extent was reached just after World War I. British holdings around the world at the time already included, among other things, Canada, Australia, the entire Indian subcontinent, and so much land in Africa that one could walk from Cairo to Cape Town without ever leaving British territory, if one could avoid malaria and other hazards of walking in Africa. This already enormous empire was made slightly larger in the years just after World War I, when new portions of the Middle East came under British control.
So there it is. No major problems were solved here, but a good time was had by all.
The site itself gives the top 25, but I thought putting in more than ten in this format might be tedious. For those that are curious, the United States fell just shy of the top ten, as I define it, occupying slot eleven, just below Canada. (Though that's not the United States as it exists today, but as it was back when we still controlled the Philippines, among other things.) Brazil is right below the United States, and Australia is right below Brazil. The Roman Empire at its greatest extent, during the brief period when it controlled Mesopotamia, is three slots below Australia. The Ottoman Empire is just below Rome, and Alexander's Macedon is just below that.
Maybe was best to be the English, they are more Polite 
