The Mongol Empire under Kublai Khan reached its greatest extent around 1279, stretching from the Pacific to the Black Sea. By territory, where does it rank in the all-time list of land empires?
The Mongol Empire at its 1279 peak covered about 24 million square kilometres — the largest connected land empire ever. The British Empire was larger in total area (~35 million km²) but it was scattered across oceans, not contiguous. The Russian Empire was the second-largest contiguous land empire (~23 million km² at peak). The Roman Empire at Trajan's peak was about 5 million km², roughly a fifth the size of the Mongol Empire. Genghis Khan started it; his grandsons completed it; it fragmented into four khanates within a few decades.
Read the full facts →The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in history, founded by Genghis Khan in 1206 and reaching its greatest extent under his successors by 1279. It controlled, at peak, approximately 24 million square kilometres of central and eastern Eurasia and approximately 110 million people.
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