List of former transcontinental countries

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This is a list of transcontinental former countries, i.e. countries which covered land on two or more continents, including islands associated with a continent other than the one where the country was based. The examples below are listed in chronological order^{[dubious – discuss]} with the number of continents covered in parentheses and the country's primary continent listed first. When a timespan is included, it is the time period in which the country was transcontinental.

BC[]

• Ancient Egyptian Empire (2) – Africa, Asia,^[1]
  • Hyksos (2) – Asia, Africa (circa 1648–1540 BC)^[2]
  • Kingdom of Kush (2) – Africa, Asia (occupied portions of Edom and Judah circa 901 BC)^[3]
• Sabaeans (2) – Asia, Africa^[4]
• Cimmerians (2) – Europe, Asia (late 8th century BC)
• Assyria (2) – Asia, Africa (671–612 BC) ^[map]
• Neo-Babylonian Empire (2) – Asia, Africa (567–539 BC)^[5]
• Achaemenid Empire (3) – Asia, Europe, Africa ^[map]
• Carthage (2) – Africa, Europe^[6]
• Alexander the Great (3) – Europe, Asia, Africa (334–323 BC) ^[map]
• Ptolemaic Kingdom (3) – Africa, Asia, ^[map][7] Europe (at its peak) ^[map]
• Lysimachian Kingdom (2) – Europe, Asia (306–281 BC) ^[map]
• Seleucid Empire (2) – Asia, Europe (281 BC ^[map] and 196–191 BC ^[map])
• Roman Empire (3) – Europe, Asia, Africa ^[map]

AD 1–AD 500[]

• Sarmatians (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map]
• Kingdom of Aksum (2) – Africa, Asia^[8][map]
• Himyarite Kingdom (2) – Asia, Africa^[8]
• Palmyrene Empire (2) – Asia, Africa (260–273)
• Hunnic Empire (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map]
• Byzantine Empire (3) – Europe, Asia, Africa ^[map]
• Western Roman Empire (2) – Europe, Africa (395–476) ^[map]
• Vandals (2) – Europe, Africa ^[map][9]
• Ostrogoths (2) – Europe, Africa^[10]

500–1000[]

• Sabirs (2) – Europe, Asia
• Sassanid Empire (3) – Asia, Africa, Europe (618–641) ^[map]
• First Turkic Khaganate^[11] (2) – Asia, Europe
• Islamic Caliphate
  • Rashidun Caliphate (2) – Asia, Africa (639–661) ^[map]
  • Umayyad Caliphate (3) – Asia, Africa, Europe (661–750) ^[map]
  • Abbasid Caliphate (3) – Asia, Africa, Europe^[12]
• Alanian Empire (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map]
• Khazar Empire (2) – Europe, Asia^[13]
• Emirate of Córdoba (2) – Europe, Africa^[14]
• Pechenegs (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map]
• Shailendra dynasty (2) – Asia, Oceania
• Kingdom of Kakheti (2) – Asia, Europe
• Kingdom of Abkhazia (2) – Asia, Europe
• Aghlabid Emirate (2) – Africa, Europe (827–909)^[15]
• Tulunid Emirate (2) – Africa, Asia (877–904) ^[map]
• Sajid Emirate of Azerbaijan (2) – Asia, Europe^[16]
• Fatimid Caliphate (3) – Africa, Asia, ^[map] Europe ^[map]
• Rus (2) – Europe, Asia (at its peak during the Caspian expedition of 913) ^[map]
• Caliphate of Córdoba (2) – Europe, Africa^[17]
• Ikhshidids (2) – Africa, Asia (935–969) ^[map]

1000–1450[]

• Sallarid Emirate of Azerbaijan (2) – Asia, Europe^[18]
• Kalbid Emirate of Sicily (2) – Europe, Africa^[17]
• Georgian Empire (2) – Asia, Europe
• Almoravid Empire (2) – Africa, Europe ^[map]
• Seljuqs (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Pisa (3) – Europe,^[19] Asia, Africa ^[map]
• Kediri Empire (2) – Asia, Oceania ^[map]
• Chola Empire (2) – Asia, Oceania (at its peak circa 1050) ^[map]
• Kingdom of Sicily (2) – Europe, Africa^[20]
• Almohad Empire (2) – Africa, Europe^[20]
• Kingdom of Jerusalem (2) – Asia, Africa (1164 and 1167) ^[map]
• Ayyubid Caliphate (2) – Asia, Africa (1169–1250) ^[map]
• Shirvanshah Empire (2) – Asia, Europe^[21]
• Latin Empire (2) – Europe, Asia (1204–1261) ^[map]
• Venice (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map][22]
• Second Bulgarian Empire (2) – Europe, Asia (at its peak) ^[map]
• Khwarezmian Empire (2) – Asia, Europe (at its peak)^[23]
• Mongol Empire (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map] (largest empire of contiguous land ever)
• Golden Horde (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map]
• Empire of Nicaea (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Mamluk Empire (2) – Africa, Asia^[24]
• Majapahit Empire (2) – Asia, Oceania ^[map][25]
• Ilkhanate (2) – Asia, Europe (1255–1335)^[26]
• Genoese Empire (2) – Europe, Asia^[27][map]
• Aragonese Empire (2) – Europe, Africa ^[map][map]
• Marinid Sultanate (2) – Africa, Europe (1294–1344) ^[map]
• Ottoman Empire (3) – Asia, Europe, Africa ^[map]
• Buginese Empire (2) – Oceania (including northern Australia,) Asia
• Timurid Empire82 (2) – Asia, Europe^[28]
• Nogai Horde Empire (2) – Asia, Europe^[29]
• Castilian Empire (2) – Europe, Africa ^[map]
• Kara Koyunlu Empire (2) – Asia, Europe
• Kingdom of Norway (872–1397) (2) – Europe, North America

1450–1700[]

• Portuguese Empire (6) – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania ^[map][map] (from 1808 to 1821, its capital was in Rio de Janeiro)
• Mahra Sultanate (2) – Asia, Africa ^[map]
• Spanish Empire (6) – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania ^[map]
• Kingdom of Denmark-Norway (4) – Europe, Asia, North America, Africa ^[map]
• German Empire (4) – Europe, South America, ^[map] Asia, ^[map] Africa ^[map]
• Iberian Union Empire (6) – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania (1580–1640) ^[map]
• British Empire (6) – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania. ^[map]
• Dutch Empire (6) – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania ^[map]
• French Empire (6) – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania ^[map]
• Scotland (2) – Europe, North America (1621–1631) ^[map]
• Swedish Empire (3) – Europe, North America, ^{[map] [map]} Africa ^[map]
• Courland (3) – Europe, Africa, South America (1651–1689) (a dependency of Poland–Lithuania) ^[map]
• Knights of Malta (3) – Europe, Africa, North America (1530–1551 and 1651–1665)
• Brandenburg-Prussia (3) – Europe, Africa, ^[map][map] North America ^[map] (1682–1721)

Since 1700[]

• British Empire (7) – (English Empire until 1707) Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, South America, North America, Antarctica
• Omani Empire (2) – Asia, Africa^[30] (from 1840 to 1856, Said bin Sultan had the capital in Stone Town, Zanzibar)
• Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia (2) – Europe, Africa (1714–1718)^[31]
• Russian Empire (3) – Europe, Asia, North America ^[map]
• United States of America (5) – North America, Africa (1810–1814), ^[map] Asia (1898-1945), Oceania, South America (1832, 1898–1979) ^[map][map]
• Argentina (5) – South America, Antarctica, Africa (1810-1815), North America (occupied California from November 23 to November 29, 1818), Asia (occupied Manila from 31 January to 30 March, 1818)
• Mexico (2) - North America, Oceania
• Chile (3) - South America, Antarctica, Oceania
• Ecuador (2) - South America, Oceania
• Portugal (3) - Europe, Africa, North America
• Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (2) – Europe, Africa (1816–1860) ^[map]
• Kingdom of Italy (3) – Europe, Africa (1861–1889)^[31] Asia^[map]
• German Empire (4) – Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia (1884–1919) ^[map]
• Belgium (2) – Europe, Africa (1885–1962) ^[map]
• Denmark (4) – Europe, North America, Asia, Africa ^[map]
• Japanese Empire (3) – Asia, Oceania (1898–1945), North America (1943) ^[map][map]
• Norway (2) – Europe, Antarctica ^[map]
• France (7) – Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Oceania, Antarctica (1830–1962)
• Commonwealth of Australia (3) – Oceania, Asia, Antarctica^[32][map]
• Union of South Africa (1948–1961) and Republic of South Africa (2) – Africa, Antarctica (if the Prince Edward Islands are considered Antarctic islands)
• United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (5) – Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania
• Uzbek Khanate (2) – Asia, Europe^[33]
• Ak Koyunlu Empire (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Khanate of Sibir (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Astrakhan Khanate (2) – Europe, Asia^[34]
• Safavid Empire (2) – Asia, Europe^[35][map]
• Crimean Khanate (2) – Europe, Asia (at its peak)^[36]
• Grand Duchy of Moscow and Tsardom of Russia^[37] (2) – Europe, Asia
• Kalmyk Khanate (2) – Asia, Europe^[38][map]
• Kingdom of Bali (2) – Asia, Oceania ^[map]
• Afsharid Empire (2) – Asia, Europe (1736–1747)
• Kazakh Khanate (2) – Asia, Europe^[39]
• Quba Khanate (2) – Europe, Asia (1747–1806)^[40]
• Kingdom of Kartl-Kakheti (2) – Asia, Europe (1762–1801)^[40]
• Qajar Empire (2) – Asia, Europe (1794–1813)^[41][map]
• Later Egyptian Empire (3) – Africa, Asia, Europe (1803–1807 and 1833–1882)^{[24] [map]}
• United Provinces of New Granada (2) – South America, North America (1810–1816)
• Gran Colombia (2) – South America, Central America (1819–1831) ^[map]
• Republic of the New Granada (1831–1858) and Granadine Confederation (1858–1863) (2) – South America, Central America ^[map]
• Greece (2) – Europe, Asia (1920 – 1923) ^{[map] [map]}
• Alash Orda (2) – Asia, Europe (December 1917 – May 1920)
• Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (2) – Asia, Europe (February 24 – May 28, 1918) ^[map]
• Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus (2) – Europe, Asia (May 11, 1918 – June 1920)
• Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (2) – Asia, Europe (May 28, 1918 – April 28, 1920)
• Democratic Republic of Georgia (2) – Asia, Europe (May 28, 1918 – February 25, 1921)
• Centrocaspian Dictatorship (2) – Asia, Europe (August 1 – September 15, 1918)
• Soviet Union (2) – Europe, Asia (December 1922 – December 1991) ^[map]
• West Indies Federation (2) – North America, South America (1958–1962)
• United Arab Republic ^[map] and United Arab States (2) – Africa, Asia (1958–1961)
• Protectorate of South Arabia (1963–1967), People's Republic of South Yemen (1967–1970), and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1970–1990) (2) – Asia, Africa
• Federation of Arab Republics (2) – Africa, Asia (1972–1977) ^[map]

See also[]

• List of medieval great powers
• List of Bronze Age states
• List of Classical Age states
• List of former sovereign states
• List of empires
• List of Iron Age states
• List of former monarchies
• List of largest empires
• List of states during Late Antiquity
• Middle Eastern empires

References[]