The vicissitudes of fate: 7 small countries that were great empires in the past

Many states of the world throughout their history have known periods of ups and downs. The modern political map is the result of a long historical process, and it has not always been like that. Today we will talk about seven countries that, during their heyday, occupied a territory much larger than their current area.

Armenia

Modern Armenia is a small, landlocked state in the Caucasus, the area of which is only 29,743 square meters. km (according to this indicator, the country occupies 138th place in the world). But in the 80-70s BC, when Tigran II the Great ruled the country, the Armenian state occupied a much larger area. Greater Armenia stretched from the shores of the Caspian Sea to Jerusalem and included the territory of modern Syria, Palestine, part of Turkey, Iraq and Iran.

Japan

Japan occupies the eponymous archipelago in the Pacific Ocean and has an area of about 378,000 square meters. km (61st place in the world). But not so long ago, before the defeat in World War II, the Japanese empire stretched from the Kuril Islands to Indonesia, occupying part of the territory of China, thus it completely owned countries such as Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Italy

Italy - the heiress of the Roman Empire, today occupies the Apennine Peninsula and has an area of 301,340 square meters. km (71st place in the world). But during the heyday of the Roman Empire under Emperor Trajan, the state extended from the British Isles to the Caspian Sea.

Portugal

Modern Portugal is located in the western part of the Iberian Peninsula and covers an area of 92,151 square meters. km (102nd place in the world). But in the Middle Ages, Portugal was a great sea power and had extensive colonies in different regions of the planet. The highest heyday of the Portuguese Empire came at the beginning of the 16th century.

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a small country in Europe, which, apart from the tiny islands in the Caribbean, covers an area of 41,543 square meters. km (131st place in the world). The Dutch competed at sea with Britain itself and had fairly extensive colonial possessions until the 20th century.

Macedonia

Not everyone will show modern Macedonia on the map of Europe. This state is located on the Balkan Peninsula and covers an area of 25,333 square meters. km (145th place in the world). But during the reign of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian kingdom occupied vast territories from Egypt to India.

Tibet

The Tibet Autonomous Region is located in western China. Today, Tibet’s independence has been lost, but the region itself does not fully recognize the power of China. The period of maximum prosperity of Tibet fell on the VII-XI century, when the empire stretched from Mongolia to the Indian Ocean.