Rise and Fall

Throughout history, empires have risen to claim and control large swaths of territory, ruling peoples under a single sovereign authority. Inevitably, the baton of power is passed onto the next contender. Here, Asiangeographic maps the great power monopoli

3100BCE–30BCE

Ancient Egyptian Empire

Famous Ruler:

Cleopatra

1–2 million people 1,000,000 square kilometres Political Peak: 1250BCE

550BCE–330CE

Achaemenid Empire (First Persian Empire) • Famous Ruler:

• •

•

Xerxes I

50 million people 8,500,000 square kilometres Political Peak: 480BCE

Umayyad Caliphate

Famous Ruler:

Abd al-malik

62 million people 15,000,000 square kilometres Political Peak: 690

Mongol Empire

Famous Ruler:

Genghis Khan

110 million people 33,000,000 square kilometres Political Peak: 1279 For more details on the respective territories controlled by each empire, visit www.asiangeo.com/heritage/empires

West Asia

Syria

Central Asia

Uzbekistan

South Asia

India

Ta iwan Thaila nd