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Qing Empire
In 1790 the Qing Empire covered 14.7 million km2 and had an estimated population of  about 320 million people.
Emperor Qianlong was one of China's longest-reigning  monarchs who ruled officially from 1735 to 1796. He stepped down in favour of his son, but kept real power until his death in 1799. A warrior and poet, he organised scholars to collect all traditional knowledge into a set of 36,275 volumes, and masterminded the invasion of neighbouring Tibet, Burma and Vietnam.
While his military machine was successful, it was expensive. The economy also suffered due to massive corruption.
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire under King Charles I (1500-1558) covered 19 million km2 and was home to a population of about 64.2 million.
Spain's empire was built on a strong maritime culture. Spanish sailors were among the first Europeans to  establish sea trade routes round Africa and to the Far East.
Their conquistadors, or 'conquerors', travelled to Middle and South America, destroying native Aztec, Inca and Maya civilisations and bringing back gold and other goods. With territories in  North and South America,  as well as Asia, the Spanish were the first to boast the 'sun never sets on the empire'. In 1588, King Philip II launched the unsuccessful Spanish Armada, a fleet of warships sent to attack Britain  and warn it both to stop raiding Spanish possessions in the Americas and to stop supporting the Netherlands' revolt against being part of the empire.
Mongol Empire
In 1268, Khublai Khan ruled about 100 million people living in an empire that stretched from Western Europe to China, covering 33.2 million km2.
This  kingdom was founded in 1206 by Temujin of the Borjigin - better known as Genghis Khan - who led an army of fierce warriors on tough little ponies.
His grandson Borjigin, who was called  Kublai Khan, completed the conquest of China and became the first Yuan emperor.
Kublai Khan unified China and set up his capital in what is now Beijing. He was a brilliant warrior and excellent statesman but his unsuccessful attempts to invade Japan and his very expensive court caused a lot of economic problems. When he died, the Mongol Empire broke up.
Russian Empire
In 1895 Nicholas II ruled 150 million people across 22.8 million km2 from Europe through Asia to North America. He was one of the last absolute monarchs, and unfortunately he wasn't a very effective ruler. After losing a war with Japan in 1904, his people staged a revolution, demanding changes that would mean him sharing power.
In 1914 Nicholas went to war with Germany and Austria over Balkan territory. Military failures abroad and food shortages at home led to another revolution in 1917. The last of the Romanovs, he abdicated on March 15. He and his family were shot, and Russia went on to become the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
British Empire
In 1922 about one quarter of the world's population, 458 million people, lived in the British Empire, an area covering 36.6 million km2 - about one quarter of the planet.
Since countries  from all corners of the world belonged to the empire, from Canada through Africa to Australia, it was often said 'the sun never sets on the British Empire'.
Although a lot of places that were once British colonies are now independent, there are still enough remaining spots around the world for this boast to remain true today.
Today Queen Elizabeth II is  head of the Commonwealth of Nations, a group of 16 countries with a total of 129 million people and covering an area of  18.8 million km?. No wonder English is such a world language!
compare!
Vatican City is the world's smallest state at 0.44km2 and with a population of only 783. Also known as the Holy See, it is the Pope's home and spiritual centre for the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics.
fab fact!
The three biggest empires in history in terms of population were the British Empire of 1938 with 531 million, the Qing Empire in 1912 with 432 million and the Soviet Union in 1918 with 286 million.
Build Your Vocab
When you're reading you don't always need to know every word to understand the meaning of a passage.  But do you remember new vocab when you come across it?
Build your word power by finding appropriate synonyms for the following words and phrases in the text.
Want an extra challenge? Try completing this exercise from memory first!
settlement
show off
put on, mount
sea
organise
Answers
Colony
Boast
Stage
Maritime
Mastermind



The rulers who made their mark on the map