Safekipedia

Empire

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A map showing the extent of the Achaemenid Empire around 500 BCE.

What is an Empire?

An empire is a big area where one leader or a group of leaders rules many different places. These places might have their own special ways and rules, but they all follow the main leader or group. Empires can be very large and include many different cultures and lands.

Famous Empires

Empires have existed for a long time. Some famous ones include the Roman Empire, which built many cities and spread its language. Another is the Mongol Empire, which grew across land. There were also sea empires like the British Empire and the Dutch Colonial Empire, which traveled across oceans to control faraway lands.

Why People Know About Empires

People know about empires because they shaped history in many ways. They built big cities, spread languages, and connected different parts of the world through trade. Even today, we can see the effects of old empires in the way countries are arranged and the cultures that live there.

Modern Use of the Word

Sometimes, people use the word "empire" to talk about very big companies or powerful groups led by one person or a few people. It helps us understand how some groups can have a lot of influence over others.

Images

A historical map showing the extent of the Egyptian Empire around 1450 B.C., helping us learn about ancient civilizations and their geography.
Map showing the extent of the Seleucid Empire in the year 200 BC.
A map showing the vast Roman Empire as it existed in the year 117 AD.
A map showing the Eastern Roman Empire and its territories in the year 555 AD during the reign of Emperor Justinian I.
Map showing the large area controlled by the Umayyad Caliphate around the year 750 AD.
Map showing the historical region of the Delhi Sultanate
A map showing the First Bulgarian Empire during the rule of Boris I.
Historical map showing the areas controlled by the Mughal, Safavid, and Ottoman Empires.
A colorful map showing the extent of the Portuguese Empire from 1415 to 1999, highlighting different areas such as possessions, explorations, and trade routes.
A map showing the extent of the First French Empire in the year 1812, including colonies, allied states, and occupied territories.
A map showing the territories of the British Empire around the year 1919, including colonies, dominions, and protectorates.
A map showing the territories of the Tang Dynasty in China around the year 700 CE.
A map showing the areas controlled by the Chola Empire in the 10th and 11th centuries.
Historical map showing the territorial boundaries of British colonies, Native American lands, and Spanish territories in Eastern North America in 1775.

Related articles

Roman Empire
Mongol Empire
British Empire
Dutch colonial empire
Trade

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Empire, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.