1650 CE Political Map
This is a political world map of the world in 1650 CE. By this period, Afro-Eurasia and the Americas were thoroughly connected, although in many ways human networks in Polynesia and Oceania remained distinct. This map presents a background for students to understand these changes, including:
- The expansion of Gunpowder Empires in Asia and North Africa
- The growth of the maritime empires of Spain, Portugal, and the Dutch East India Company/VOC
- The newly formed Qing Dynasty in China
- Communities in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Tokugawa Japan who resisted imperial expansion
How to Use This Map
Students can use this map to better understand the ways that imperial power were constructed in the Americas and Afro-Eurasia, including how trading companies acted as a vehicle of imperial expansion during the Columbian Exchange.
1650 CE political map, by OER Project, CC BY 4.0.