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The Americas in 1861

1861 is the year the American Civil War began. This map shows the 26 states and peoples the data has for The Americas in that year.

Map of the Americas in 1861 with 26 states and peoples
Borders: Cliopatria, Seshat Global History Databank (CC BY 4.0). Coarse outlines: check and adjust them for your story.

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States and peoples in the Americas in 1861

Largest first, by area on this map.

  • Empire of Brazil
  • Russian Empire
  • United States of America
  • Federated Republic of Mexico
  • British Colonial Empire
  • Confederate States of America
  • Bolivia
  • Argentine Confederation
  • Republic of Peru
  • Granadine Confederation
  • Venezuela
  • Paraguay
  • Republic of Chile
  • Republic of Ecuador
  • Oriental Republic of Uruguay
  • Greenland
  • Spanish Empire
  • Netherlands Antilles
  • Honduras
  • Republic of Nicaragua
  • Guatemala
  • Second French Empire
  • Republic of Costa Rica
  • Empire of Haiti
  • Republic of El Salvador
  • Kingdom of Hawaï'i

New on the map since 1836

Confederate States of America · Bolivia · Republic of Peru · Granadine Confederation · Honduras · Republic of Nicaragua · Guatemala · Second French Empire · Republic of Costa Rica · Republic of El Salvador

Gone from the map by 1886

Russian Empire · Federated Republic of Mexico · Confederate States of America · Granadine Confederation · Spanish Empire · Second French Empire

Animated maps of this time

The Americas in other years

Other regions in 1861

The outlines are coarse and follow the Cliopatria dataset: borders before modern surveys are estimates, and a blank area means the data has no state on record there, not that nobody lived there. A state that changed hands during the year can appear together with its successor.