Historical and Political Maps of the Modern Age

The purpose of this site is to illustrate the concept of the political boundary with a comprehensive selection of political and historical maps from 1789 (and, occasionally, from earlier dates) to the present day. The maps are clearly organized by region and dates. Most of them are in Spanish but this should not pose an obstacle to those used to reading maps.

Haga click aquí para la versión en castellano (Spanish Version)

The Maps currently available on this site as pure samples that will be updated from time to time, are:

EUROPE SITE SWITZERLAND SITE THE NETHERLANDS SITE LATIN AMERICA SITE GERMANY SITE ITALY SITE UNITED STATES SITE SOVIET UNION SITE ARABIA SITE AFRICA SITE INDIA SITE INSULINDIA SITE IRAN & AFGHANISTAN SITE THE COMMONWEALTH SITE BALKAN STATES SITE MIDDLE EAST SITE INDOCHINA SITE CHINA SITE

A thorough understanding of frontier politics may be obtained through a careful review of frontier changes through time. I have prepared over 250 political maps - some of which may subdivided or merged with others - and recorded some 3,000 historical dates pertaining to close to 1,000 political units. The collection begins in 1789 (although, in the cases of the Swiss Confederacy and the Low Countries the date is somewhat earlier) and shows the changes and evolution of political borders worldwide since the inception of the concept of state. The maps take into account territorial changes and the different systems of government established in different corners of the world during the modern period. Each map includes notations as to dates and other information provided in it. Every effort has been made to preserve objectiveness and thus I have refrained from comments and explanations. Oftentimes, a map can be far more eloquent than the written word. The format followed in this Historical Atlas is explained in the introduction, which, at the present time, is available only in Spanish. It provides useful information as to the table of contents and cartographical bibliography. I have endeavored to dispense with many of the inaccuracies and much of the clutter that, in my opinion, often render other atlases tedious and untrustworthy. The goal of this project is to provide a definitive world atlas of political geography. Or, since the nation-state is undoubtedly the leading actor in the contemporary world, it could also be described as an Atlas of Nationalism. Below is a complete list of the maps in this site: CHAPTERS 1 THE POSSIBLE MYTH. THE POLIS
Athens 508-146 b.c. (1 map) 2 THE BIRTH OF THE POLITICAL STATE. THE CITY
Swiss Confederation since 1291 (9)
-- The Grisons s. 1367
The Netherlands s. 1536 (3)
-- Limburg-Luxemburg s. 1536 (2) 3 THE TERRITORIAL STATE
France and Revolutionary Europe 1789-1815 (6)
The Confederation of the Rhine 1806-1813 (3)
-- Frankfurt 1806-1813 (2)
-- Thuringian States 1806-1813 (1) 4 THE PROMISED LAND
The United States s. 1775 (13)
-- New England 1772 (1)
-- Texas 1727-1998 (5)
-- Oklahoma 1828-1907 (1-3)
Canada s. 1763 (9)
-- The Maritime Provinces 1713-1866 (3)
Australia s. 1788 (4)
New Zealand s. 1840 (2)
South Africa s. 1795 (9)
-- Bechuanaland 1885-1966 (1)
-- Transkei s. 1877 (1) 5 AMERICA. THE POLITICAL EXPERIMENTS
Central America s. 1799 (5)
South America s. 1799 (5)
-- Colombia-Venezuela-Ecuador 1819-1909 (5)
-- Argentina and the "South Cone" 1800-1820 (2)
-- (Capital enlargements s. 1826) (2)
-- Ecuador. Boundaries s. 1563 (1-8)
-- Paraguay. Boundaries s. 1799 (1-7) 6 THE ETHNIC STATE
Eurasia. Political Units 1994 (1)
Germany s. 1815 (7)
-- Thuringia 1815-1918 (2)
Italy s. 1815 (3)
Austria-Hungary and the Balkans s. 1878 (7)
-- Ruthenia s. 1918 (2)
-- Istria s. 1919 (1)
The Ottoman Empire and the Middle East s. 1900 (3)
-- Palestine and Israel s. 1917 (4)
Arabia s. 1904 (3) 7 COLONIAL RULE AND ITS HEIRS
The Indian Empire s. 1857 (9)
-- (Regional enlargements) (8)
-- Burma s. 1872 (5)
-- (Regional enlargements) (2)
The East Indies s. 1904 (3)
-- The Sultanates of Java 1904-1941 (1)
-- Malaysia s. 1909 (3)
Africa s. 1905 (6)
-- Morocco s. 1904 (4)
-- Nigeria s. 1905 (6)
-- Uganda 1905-1967 (4)
Gibraltar s. 1704 (3)
The Caribbean Basin s. 1799 (4)
The Indian Ocean s. 1815 (2)
Oceania s. 1884 (5)
Persian Gulf Emirates s. 1820 (3)
Aden and Yemen s. 1839 (4)
Hong Kong s. 1841 (3)
Indo-China s. 1862 (3) 8 LIVING SPACE ("LEBENSRAUM")
Germany and Nationalist Europe 1939-1942 (3)
Japan and the "Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" 1931-1945 (2)
South Africa and "Apartheid" 1963-1993 (1) 9 NATIONALITIES AND INTERNATIONALISM
The U.S.S.R. 1917-1991 (7)
-- (European region enlargement) (7)
-- The Caucasus s. 1922 (2)
China s. 1949 (1) 10 THE PERIPHERY
China 1911-1949 (4)
-- European possessions s. 1842 (1)
Iran and Afghanistan s. 1904 (2)

Available bibliography

Several maps are still under construction
My thanks to Jaume Ollé, Rudi Longueville (The Netherlands maps), the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (Texas maps), Timothy Philipp (Switzerland maps), Chris and Michelle Chaplow, Nelson Durán, John McMeekin, Jesús Burgueño, Rosa, and so many others. Someday we will achieve perfection!

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Should you require further information, please contact

Joaquín de Salas Vara de Rey
Avda. del Carmen, 45 A34
Estepona
29680 Malaga (Spain)
email: naoero1968@eresmas.net