List of former transcontinental countries

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 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.

Pre-colonial empires straddling at least two continents

• Ancient Egyptian Empire (2) – Africa, Asia,^[1]
• Hyksos Empire (2) – Asia, Africa (circa 1648–1540 BC)^[2]
• Phoenician Empire (3) – Asia, Europe, Africa (circa 1200–149 BC)^[3]
• Qahtani Empire (2) – Asia, Africa^[4]
• Kushite Empire (2) – Africa, Asia (occupied portions of Edom and Judah circa 901 BC)^[5]
• Sabaean Empire (2) – Asia, Africa^[6]
• Cimmerian Empire (2) – Europe, Asia (late 8th century BC) ^[map]
• Assyrian Empire (2) – Asia, Africa (671–612 BC) ^[map]
• Phocaean Empire (3) – Asia, Europe, Africa
• Neo-Babylonian Empire (2) – Asia, Africa (567–539 BC)^[7]
• Achaemenid Empire (3) – Asia, Europe, Africa ^[map]
• Carthaginian Empire (2) – Africa, Europe^[8]
• Alexandrian Empire (3) – Europe, Asia, Africa (334–323 BC) ^[map]
• Ptolemaic Empire (3) – Africa, Asia ^[map],^[9] Europe (at its peak) ^[map]
• Lysimachian Empire (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]
• Sarmatian Empire (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map]
• Aksumite Empire (2) – Africa, Asia^[4][map]
• Himyarite Empire (2) – Asia, Africa^[4]
• Palmyrene Empire (2) – Asia, Africa (AD 260–273)
• Hunnic Empire (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map]
• Byzantine Empire (3) – Europe, Asia, Africa ^[map]
• Western Roman Empire (2) – Europe, Africa (395–476) ^[map]
• Vandal Empire (2) – Europe, Africa ^[map][10]
• Srivijaya Empire (3) – Asia, Oceania, Africa^[11]
• Ostrogothic Empire (2) – Europe, Africa^[12]
• Sabir Empire (2) – Europe, Asia
• Sassanid Empire (3) – Asia, Africa, Europe (618–641) ^[map]
• Göktürk Empire (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Rashidun Caliphate (3) – Asia, Africa, Europe (639–661) ^[map]
• Alanian Empire (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map]
• Khazar Empire (2) – Europe, Asia^[13]
• Umayyad Caliphate (3) – Asia, Africa, Europe (661–750) ^[map]
• Abbasid Caliphate (3) – Asia, Africa, Europe^[14]
• Emirate of Córdoba (2) – Europe, Africa^[15]
• Pecheneg Empire (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map]
• Sailendra Empire (2) – Asia, Oceania
• Kingdom of Kakheti (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Abkhazian Empire (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Aghlabid Emirate (2) – Africa, Europe (827–909)^[16]
• Tulunid Emirate (2) – Africa, Asia (877–904) ^[map]
• Sajid Emirate of Azerbaijan (2) – Asia, Europe^[17]
• Fatimid Caliphate (3) – Africa, Asia ^[map], Europe ^[map]
• Rus Empire (2) – Europe, Asia (at its peak during the Caspian expedition of 913) ^[map]
• Caliphate of Córdoba (2) – Europe, Africa^[18]
• Ikhshidid Empire (2) – Africa, Asia (935–969) ^[map]
• Sallarid Emirate of Azerbaijan (2) – Asia, Europe^[19]
• Kalbid Emirate of Sicily (2) – Europe, Africa^[18]
• Norwegian Empire (2) – Europe, North America (explored its Atlantic shores five centuries before Columbus) ^[map][20]
• Georgian Empire (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Almoravid Empire (2) – Africa, Europe ^[map]
• Seljuq Empire (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Pisan Empire (3) – Europe,^[21] Asia, Africa ^[map]
• Kediri Empire (2) – Asia, Oceania ^[map]
• Chola Empire (2) – Asia, Oceania (at its peak circa 1050) ^[map]
• Norman Empire (3) – Europe,^[22] Africa ^[map], Asia ^[map] (1091–1144)
• Medieval French Empire (3) – Europe, Asia ^[map][map], Africa ^[map][map]
• Kingdom of Sicily (2) – Europe, Africa^[23]
• Almohad Empire (2) – Africa, Europe^[23]
• Kingdom of Jerusalem (2) – Asia, Africa (1164 and 1167) ^[map]
• Ayyubid Caliphate (2) – Asia, Africa (1169–1250) ^[map]
• Lusignan Empire (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map][map]
• Angevin Empire (3) – Europe, Asia ^[map], Africa (1191–1194 ^[map] and 1266–1282 ^[map])
• Shirvanshah Empire (2) – Asia, Europe^[24]
• Hohenstaufen Empire (3) – Europe, Africa (1194–1266) ^[map], Asia (1225–1268) ^[map]
• Latin Empire (2) – Europe, Asia (1204–1261) ^[map]
• Venetian Empire (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map][25]
• Second Bulgarian Empire (2) – Europe, Asia (at its peak) ^[map]
• Khwarezmian Empire (2) – Asia, Europe (at its peak)^[26]
• Mongol Empire (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map] (largest empire of contiguous land ever)
• Golden Horde Empire (2) – Europe, Asia ^[map]
• Empire of Nicaea (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Mamluk Empire (2) – Africa, Asia^[27]
• Majapahit Empire (2) – Asia, Oceania ^[map][28]
• Ilkhanate Empire (2) – Asia, Europe (1255–1335)^[29]
• Genoese Empire (2) – Europe, Asia^[30][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 Empire (2) – Asia, Europe^[31]
• Nogai Horde Empire (2) – Asia, Europe^[32]
• Castilian Empire (2) – Europe, Africa ^[map]
• Kara Koyunlu Empire (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]

Colonial-era nations with non-contiguous overseas possessions

• Chola dynasty - South Asia & South East Asia
• Navarrese Empire (2) – Europe, North America (before Columbus to 1513)^[33][34]
• 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][map]
• Kingdom of Denmark-Norway (3) – Europe, Asia, North America ^[map]
• Austrian 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 (7) – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania, Antarctica ^[map][map]
• Dutch Empire (6) – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania ^[map]
• French Empire (7) – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania, Antarctica ^[map]
• Scottish Empire (2) – Europe, North America (1621–1631) ^[map]
• Swedish Empire (3) – Europe, North America ^{[map] [map]}, Africa ^[map]
• Courlander Empire (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)
• Dano-Norwegian Empire (4) – Europe, North America, Asia, Africa ^[map]
• Brandenburg-Prussian Empire (3) – Europe, Africa ^[map][map], North America ^[map] (1682–1721)
• Omani Empire (2) – Asia, Africa^[35] (from 1840 to 1856, Said bin Sultan had the capital in Stone Town, Zanzibar)
• Piedmont-Sardinian Empire (2) – Europe, Africa (1714–1718)^[36]
• Russian Empire (3) – Europe, Asia, North America ^[map]
• Parthenopaean Republic (2) – Europe, Africa (January 23 – June 28, 1799)
• American Empire (5) – North America, Africa (1810–1814) ^[map], Asia, Oceania, South America (1898–1979) ^[map][map]
• Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (2) – Europe, Africa (1816–1860) ^[map]
• Kingdom of Italy (2) – Europe, Africa (1861–1889)^[36]
• German Empire (4) – Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia (1884–1919) ^[map]
• Belgian Empire (2) – Europe, Africa (1885–1961) ^[map]
• Chile (3) – South America, Oceania, Antarctica ^[map]
• Italian Empire (3) – Europe, Africa, Asia (1889–1943) ^[map]
• Japanese Empire (2) – Asia, Oceania (1898–1945) ^[map][map]
• Norway (2) – Europe, Antarctica ^[map]
• Nazi Germany (4) – Europe, Africa, Asia (1940–1944), Antarctica (1939-1945) ^[map]
• Vichy France (7) – Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Oceania, Antarctica (1940–1943)
• Commonwealth of Australia (3) – Oceania, Asia, Antarctica^[37][map]
• Union of South Africa (1948–1961) and Republic of South Africa (2) – Africa, Antarctica (if the Prince Edward Islands are considered Antarctic islands)
• Venezuela (2) – South America, North America ^[map]

Other transcontinental occurrences

• Uzbek Khanate (2) – Asia, Europe^[38]
• Ak Koyunlu Empire (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Khanate of Sibir (2) – Asia, Europe ^[map]
• Astrakhan Khanate (2) – Europe, Asia^[39]
• Safavid Empire (2) – Asia, Europe^[40][map]
• Crimean Khanate (2) – Europe, Asia (at its peak)^[41]
• Grand Duchy of Moscow ^[map] and Tsardom of Russia^[42] (2) – Europe, Asia
• Kalmyk Khanate (2) – Asia, Europe^[43][map]
• Kingdom of Bali (2) – Asia, Oceania ^[map]
• Afsharid Empire (2) – Asia, Europe (1736–1747)
• Kazakh Khanate (2) – Asia, Europe^[44]
• Quba Khanate (2) – Europe, Asia (1747–1806)^[45]
• Kingdom of Kartl-Kakheti (2) – Asia, Europe (1762–1801)^[45]
• Qajar Empire (2) – Asia, Europe (1794–1813)^[46][map]
• Later Egyptian Empire (3) – Africa, Asia, Europe (1803–1807 and 1833–1882)^{[27] [map]}
• United Provinces of New Granada (2) – South America, North America (1810–1816)
• Gran Colombia (2) – South America, North America (1819–1831) ^[map]
• Republic of the New Granada (1831–1858) and Granadine Confederation (1858–1863) (2) – South America, North America ^[map]
• Greece (2) – Europe, Asia ^{[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) ^[map]
• Democratic Republic of Georgia (2) – Asia, Europe (May 28, 1918 – February 25, 1921) ^[map]
• 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) ^[map]
• 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]
• Israel (2) – Asia, Africa (From October 15, 1973 to January 18, 1974, it had occupied land on the African side of the Suez Canal as a result of the Yom Kippur War. This land was never administrated by Israeli civil authorities and was withdrawn during the aftermath of the war.)^[47]
• Argentina (2) – South America, Antarctica (occupied South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands from March 19 to June 20, 1982 during the Falklands War) ^[map]
• South Ossetian Republic (2) – Asia, Europe (if its de facto independence from Georgia since the cease-fire of July 14, 1992 is recognized) ^[map]
• Eritrea (2) – Africa, Asia (occupied Hanish-al-Saghir from August 10 to 27, 1995 and Hanish-al-Kabir from November 12, 1995 to October 1998 during the Hanish islands crisis)

See also

• Historical powers
• List of Bronze Age States
• List of Classical Age States
• List of extinct states
• List of empires
• List of largest empires that existed in India
• List of Iron Age States
• List of kingdoms
• List of largest empires
• List of Late Antiquity Age States
• Middle Eastern Empires

References

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