Fig. 3
From: Cliopatria - A geospatial database of world-wide political entities from 3400BCE to 2024CE
Number of entities depicted in each dataset year. Data reflects both the overall historical increase in number of polities but also a varying sampling choice about the scale of polities to be included. A substantial drop in polities typically reflects the expansion and occupation of states by a larger empire; a jump in polities reflects the creation or independence of states after the collapse of an empire. Notable examples of these dynamics are included (red lettering and arrows).
