Location of Tartaria on a Modern Map

Tartaria, or Tartary, is a historical name for a vast region in Asia that was largely unknown to European geographers until the 19th century. To locate Tartaria on a modern map, we need to understand its historical boundaries.

The region referred to as Tartary was bounded by the Caspian Sea, the Ural Mountains, the Pacific Ocean, and the northern borders of China, India, and Persia.[1] In modern times, this area corresponds to parts of several countries.

Geographical Extent

The geographical extent of Tartary can be broken down into several sub-regions. These include:

  • Central Asia: The area now comprising central Afghanistan to northern Kazakhstan.
  • Siberia: The Asian part of Russia, which is now known as Siberia.
  • Manchuria: A region in northeastern China.
  • Mongolia: The territory of modern-day Mongolia.

The region formerly known as Tartary is now generally referred to as Inner Asia or Central Eurasia. [3]

Modern-Day Equivalent

On a modern map, the region that was once known as Tartary spans across:

  • Central Afghanistan to northern Kazakhstan.
  • Areas in present-day Mongolia.
  • Parts of China, particularly Manchuria or northeastern China.
  • The Russian Far East.[2]

Historical Subdivisions

Historically, Europeans subdivided Tartary into sections based on the ruling power or geographical location. These subdivisions included:

  • Great Tartary or Russian Tartary (Siberia).
  • Little Tartary (the Crimean Khanate).
  • Chinese Tartary (Manchuria).
  • Independent Tartary (western Central Asia before it became Russian Central Asia).[ ^4]

Conclusion

The area that was historically known as Tartaria is now spread across several countries including Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and Russia.


Authoritative Sources

  1. Elliott, Mark C. (2000). "The Limits of Tartary: Manchuria in Imperial and National Geographies". Journal of Asian Studies. 59 (3): 603–646. [JSTOR]
  2. Dunning, Brian (February 2021). "Skeptoid #765: Tartaria and the Mud Flood". Skeptoid. [Skeptoid]
  3. Gorshenina, Svetlana (2014). L'invention de l'Asie centrale : histoire du concept de la Tartarie à l'Eurasie. Droz. [Droz]
  4. Matochkina, Anna (2016). "The Image of 'Tartary' in the History of Russian Cartography". Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 236: 542–547. [ScienceDirect]

Sign up for free to save this answer and access it later

Sign up →