Territorial change of Great Britain (Kingdom of Great Britain)

“Great Britain”(Kingdom of Great Britain) — appears in this map’s data from AD 1709 to 2024. Its territory was largest in AD 1956 – 1968, at ≈ 1.01 million km².

Territory by period

Period	Area
AD 1709 – 1756	≈ 342 thousand km²
AD 1757 – 1761	≈ 342 thousand km²
AD 1762 – 1793	≈ 342 thousand km²
AD 1794 – 1795	≈ 353 thousand km²
AD 1796 – 1796	≈ 353 thousand km²
AD 1797 – 1798	≈ 342 thousand km²
AD 1799 – 1799	≈ 343 thousand km²
AD 1800 – 1819	≈ 343 thousand km²
AD 1820 – 1839	≈ 384 thousand km²
AD 1840 – 1852	≈ 349 thousand km²
AD 1853 – 1855	≈ 349 thousand km²
AD 1856 – 1858	≈ 349 thousand km²
AD 1859 – 1869	≈ 349 thousand km²
AD 1870 – 1879	≈ 345 thousand km²
AD 1880 – 1889	≈ 357 thousand km²
AD 1890 – 1894	≈ 666 thousand km²
AD 1895 – 1904	≈ 740 thousand km²
AD 1905 – 1912	≈ 745 thousand km²
AD 1913 – 1914	≈ 746 thousand km²
AD 1915 – 1915	≈ 749 thousand km²
AD 1916 – 1916	≈ 750 thousand km²
AD 1917 – 1917	≈ 755 thousand km²
AD 1918 – 1918	≈ 762 thousand km²
AD 1919 – 1919	≈ 763 thousand km²
AD 1920 – 1921	≈ 771 thousand km²
AD 1922 – 1923	≈ 697 thousand km²
AD 1924 – 1925	≈ 679 thousand km²
AD 1926 – 1931	≈ 674 thousand km²
AD 1932 – 1935	≈ 688 thousand km²
AD 1936 – 1939	≈ 824 thousand km²
AD 1940 – 1940	≈ 809 thousand km²
AD 1941 – 1944	≈ 811 thousand km²
AD 1945 – 1946	≈ 809 thousand km²
AD 1947 – 1947	≈ 726 thousand km²
AD 1948 – 1955	≈ 698 thousand km²
AD 1956 – 1968	≈ 1.01 million km²
AD 1969 – 2023	≈ 672 thousand km²
AD 2024 – 2024	≈ 266 thousand km²

Outline at its largest extent

Outline of the territory in AD 1956 – 1968 (map drawing). Neighbouring countries are not drawn.

Area and rank by frame

For each frame in which borders change: this country’s territory and its rank by area among the countries that have territory in that frame.

Frame	Area	Rank
AD 1709	≈ 342 thousand km²	22 of 120
AD 1713	≈ 342 thousand km²	23 of 123
AD 1718	≈ 342 thousand km²	25 of 124
AD 1721	≈ 342 thousand km²	26 of 125
AD 1727	≈ 342 thousand km²	25 of 128
AD 1734	≈ 342 thousand km²	26 of 132
AD 1738	≈ 342 thousand km²	24 of 125
AD 1741	≈ 342 thousand km²	24 of 125
AD 1744	≈ 342 thousand km²	24 of 129
AD 1748	≈ 342 thousand km²	26 of 132
AD 1752	≈ 342 thousand km²	26 of 132
AD 1757	≈ 342 thousand km²	25 of 132
AD 1762	≈ 342 thousand km²	24 of 131
AD 1763	≈ 342 thousand km²	24 of 132
AD 1769	≈ 342 thousand km²	23 of 128
AD 1772	≈ 342 thousand km²	23 of 127
AD 1775	≈ 342 thousand km²	23 of 132
AD 1776	≈ 342 thousand km²	24 of 132
AD 1778	≈ 342 thousand km²	24 of 131
AD 1780	≈ 342 thousand km²	24 of 131
AD 1781	≈ 342 thousand km²	24 of 131
AD 1783	≈ 342 thousand km²	25 of 130
AD 1788	≈ 342 thousand km²	26 of 129
AD 1791	≈ 342 thousand km²	28 of 128
AD 1792	≈ 342 thousand km²	27 of 130
AD 1794	≈ 353 thousand km²	24 of 125
AD 1796	≈ 353 thousand km²	24 of 124
AD 1797	≈ 342 thousand km²	25 of 125
AD 1799	≈ 343 thousand km²	26 of 124
AD 1800	≈ 343 thousand km²	27 of 123
AD 1803	≈ 343 thousand km²	27 of 123
AD 1805	≈ 343 thousand km²	27 of 125
AD 1806	≈ 343 thousand km²	28 of 138
AD 1807	≈ 343 thousand km²	27 of 132
AD 1809	≈ 343 thousand km²	26 of 131
AD 1811	≈ 343 thousand km²	29 of 131
AD 1812	≈ 343 thousand km²	29 of 133
AD 1814	≈ 343 thousand km²	31 of 142
AD 1815	≈ 343 thousand km²	30 of 139
AD 1820	≈ 384 thousand km²	25 of 148
AD 1822	≈ 384 thousand km²	30 of 147
AD 1824	≈ 384 thousand km²	31 of 148
AD 1825	≈ 384 thousand km²	32 of 150
AD 1828	≈ 384 thousand km²	33 of 144
AD 1830	≈ 384 thousand km²	33 of 143
AD 1834	≈ 384 thousand km²	35 of 143
AD 1836	≈ 384 thousand km²	35 of 145
AD 1840	≈ 349 thousand km²	37 of 155
AD 1842	≈ 349 thousand km²	38 of 156
AD 1846	≈ 349 thousand km²	34 of 152
AD 1848	≈ 349 thousand km²	33 of 147
AD 1849	≈ 349 thousand km²	33 of 144
AD 1853	≈ 349 thousand km²	33 of 144
AD 1856	≈ 349 thousand km²	34 of 149
AD 1857	≈ 349 thousand km²	34 of 150
AD 1859	≈ 349 thousand km²	35 of 146
AD 1860	≈ 349 thousand km²	35 of 142
AD 1861	≈ 349 thousand km²	36 of 140
AD 1862	≈ 349 thousand km²	36 of 138
AD 1863	≈ 349 thousand km²	36 of 139
AD 1864	≈ 349 thousand km²	35 of 139
AD 1865	≈ 349 thousand km²	36 of 139
AD 1866	≈ 349 thousand km²	35 of 133
AD 1868	≈ 349 thousand km²	34 of 134
AD 1870	≈ 345 thousand km²	35 of 132
AD 1871	≈ 345 thousand km²	35 of 113
AD 1873	≈ 345 thousand km²	33 of 108
AD 1877	≈ 345 thousand km²	32 of 104
AD 1880	≈ 357 thousand km²	33 of 104
AD 1884	≈ 357 thousand km²	33 of 105
AD 1885	≈ 357 thousand km²	34 of 101
AD 1890	≈ 666 thousand km²	29 of 99
AD 1895	≈ 740 thousand km²	27 of 90
AD 1898	≈ 740 thousand km²	27 of 87
AD 1900	≈ 740 thousand km²	27 of 84
AD 1905	≈ 745 thousand km²	28 of 83
AD 1908	≈ 745 thousand km²	29 of 79
AD 1911	≈ 745 thousand km²	30 of 76
AD 1912	≈ 745 thousand km²	32 of 77
AD 1913	≈ 746 thousand km²	31 of 78
AD 1914	≈ 746 thousand km²	31 of 76
AD 1915	≈ 749 thousand km²	29 of 75
AD 1916	≈ 750 thousand km²	30 of 71
AD 1917	≈ 755 thousand km²	30 of 71
AD 1918	≈ 762 thousand km²	30 of 80
AD 1919	≈ 763 thousand km²	27 of 88
AD 1920	≈ 771 thousand km²	28 of 84
AD 1922	≈ 697 thousand km²	32 of 87
AD 1924	≈ 679 thousand km²	32 of 86
AD 1926	≈ 674 thousand km²	32 of 84
AD 1927	≈ 674 thousand km²	32 of 84
AD 1928	≈ 674 thousand km²	32 of 85
AD 1929	≈ 674 thousand km²	32 of 85
AD 1930	≈ 674 thousand km²	32 of 86
AD 1932	≈ 688 thousand km²	34 of 88
AD 1936	≈ 824 thousand km²	30 of 89
AD 1938	≈ 824 thousand km²	31 of 88
AD 1939	≈ 824 thousand km²	32 of 86
AD 1940	≈ 809 thousand km²	34 of 77
AD 1941	≈ 811 thousand km²	33 of 74
AD 1942	≈ 811 thousand km²	34 of 75
AD 1943	≈ 811 thousand km²	33 of 73
AD 1944	≈ 811 thousand km²	31 of 73
AD 1945	≈ 809 thousand km²	30 of 76
AD 1946	≈ 809 thousand km²	30 of 83
AD 1947	≈ 726 thousand km²	35 of 92
AD 1948	≈ 698 thousand km²	36 of 96
AD 1949	≈ 698 thousand km²	36 of 96
AD 1950	≈ 698 thousand km²	34 of 94
AD 1953	≈ 698 thousand km²	34 of 97
AD 1956	≈ 1.01 million km²	29 of 103
AD 1958	≈ 1.01 million km²	29 of 101
AD 1960	≈ 1.01 million km²	29 of 107
AD 1961	≈ 1.01 million km²	32 of 122
AD 1962	≈ 1.01 million km²	32 of 122
AD 1963	≈ 1.01 million km²	33 of 129
AD 1967	≈ 1.01 million km²	32 of 140
AD 1969	≈ 672 thousand km²	40 of 145
AD 1973	≈ 672 thousand km²	40 of 152
AD 1974	≈ 672 thousand km²	40 of 152
AD 1976	≈ 672 thousand km²	40 of 157
AD 1979	≈ 672 thousand km²	40 of 161
AD 1983	≈ 672 thousand km²	40 of 162
AD 1987	≈ 672 thousand km²	40 of 164
AD 1990	≈ 672 thousand km²	41 of 164
AD 1991	≈ 672 thousand km²	41 of 164
AD 1992	≈ 672 thousand km²	42 of 185
AD 1996	≈ 672 thousand km²	42 of 186
AD 2000	≈ 672 thousand km²	42 of 188
AD 2006	≈ 672 thousand km²	42 of 187
AD 2008	≈ 672 thousand km²	42 of 187
AD 2011	≈ 672 thousand km²	42 of 187
AD 2014	≈ 672 thousand km²	42 of 191
AD 2022	≈ 672 thousand km²	42 of 191
AD 2024	≈ 266 thousand km²	76 of 191

Its highest rank was in AD 1709: number 120 of 22.

Neighbouring countries

In order of the number of frames in which they share a border (a parent state, its colonies and other names of the same country are counted as one group).

Kingdom of France — 379 frames
Dutch Republic — 248 frames
Crown of Castile — 241 frames
Kingdom of Portugal — 165 frames
United States — 117 frames
Nepal — 89 frames
Ottoman Empire — 84 frames
Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932) — 81 frames
Guatemala — 80 frames
German Empire — 75 frames
Qing dynasty — 70 frames
Bhutan — 68 frames
Liberia — 63 frames
Tsardom of Russia — 62 frames
Mexico — 57 frames
Maratha Empire — 55 frames
Belgium — 53 frames
Mughal Empire — 52 frames
Denmark–Norway — 51 frames
Saudi Arabia — 51 frames

Territory exchanged with

Computed from changes in territory between frames (only changes of about 20,000 km² or more are counted; these are not actual routes of advance). Top 4 by area.

Frame		Other country	Area
AD 1945	gained	Nazi Germany	≈ 125 thousand km²
AD 1940	gained	Kingdom of Iceland	≈ 112 thousand km²
AD 1947	lost	United States	≈ 94 thousand km²
AD 1820	gained	German Confederation	≈ 38 thousand km²

Wikipedia summary

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.

Wikipedia (English) “Great Britain”, introduction (first sentences) · text under CC BY-SA 4.0 · read more on Wikipedia

Show on the map — open the AD 1956 frame