Published: Feb 27, 2026written by Greg Beyer, BA History & Linguistics, Journalism Diploma Share CiteSummary The British Empire was the largest in history, covering nearly 24% of the world’s land area at its peak. The Mongol Empire created the largest contiguous land empire ever, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Danube. The British EmpireThe British Empire in 1921, including territory handed over by the Germans and the Ottomans to the British after WWI. It was the largest contiguous land empire in history, and covered 9.27 million square miles (24 million square kilometers), accounting for over 16% of the world’s land surface. At its height around 1790, the Qing Dynasty controlled 5.68 million square miles (14.7 million square kilometers), representing 10% of the world’s land surface.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 27, 2026 18:21 UTC