The largest empire in history by land mass is the British Empire, which at its height in the late 19th and early 20th centuries controlled roughly a quarter of the Earth's land surface. The empire spanned territories on every inhabited continent, including key regions in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific. It was often said that "the sun never set on the British Empire," due to its vastness. The empire was significant not only for its economic and military power but also for its cultural, social, and political influence on a global scale, shaping modern geopolitics.