This is a timeline of geopolitical changes around the world prior to 1900. It includes dates of

declarations of independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

, changes in country name, changes of

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...

or name, and changes in territorial ownership such as the

annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

occupation Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

cession The act of cession is the assignment of property to another entity. In international law it commonly refers to land transferred by treaty. Ballentine's Law Dictionary defines cession as "a surrender; a giving up; a relinquishment of jurisdictio ...

concession Concession may refer to: General * Concession (contract) (sometimes called a concession agreement), a contractual right to carry on a certain kind of business or activity in an area, such as to explore or develop its natural resources or to opera ...

, or

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

of land. Territorial conquests as a result of war are included on the timeline at the conclusion of major

military campaign A military campaign is large-scale long-duration significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of interrelated military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war. The term derives from the ...

s, but changes in the course of specific battles and day-to-day operations are generally not included.

Before the Common Era (BCE)

Fourth Millennium BCE

Third Millennium BCE

Second Millennium BCE

First Millennium BCE

Common Era (CE)

First Millennium CE

1st century

2nd century

3rd century

4th century

5th century

6th century

7th century

8th century

9th century

10th century

Second Millennium CE

11th century

12th century

13th century

14th century

15th century

16th century

17th century

18th century

;1700s ;1710s ;1720s ;1730s ;1740s ;1750s ;1760s ;1770s ;1780s ;1790s

19th century

;1800s ;1810s ;1820s ;1830s ;1840s ;1850s ;1860s ;1870s ;1880s ;1890s

Maps

File:East-Hem 001ad.jpg, Eastern Hemisphere in 1 File:World in 200 CE.PNG, World in 200 File:World in 300 CE.PNG, World in 300 File:World in 400 CE.png, World in 400 File:The world in 500 CE.PNG, World in 500 File:World in 700 CE.png, World in 700 File:World in 900 CE.png, World in 900 File:1555-56 CE World Map.PNG, Word in 1555–1556 File:1700 CE world map.PNG, World in 1700

Notes

References

{{Territorial evolution of the world Geography-related lists Geopolitics History-related lists Maps