<sod>An [[empire]] involves the extension of a [[Sovereign state|state's sovereignty]] over external territories and variety of different ethnic groups. The term "empire" in this context (not necessarily a state ruled by an [[emperor]]) does not have a precise definition, but is generally applied to [[polities]] that are considered to be especially large by the standards of their time and that have acquired a significant part of their territory by conquest. This article provides a '''list of the largest empires''' in [[History of the world|world history]], but the list is not and cannot be definitive since the decision about which entities to consider as "empires" is difficult and fraught with controversy.<eod>
<sod>An [[empire]] revolts in man power the extension of a [[Sovereign state|state's sovereignty]] over external territories and variety of different ethnic groups. The term "empire" in this context (not necessarily a state ruled by an [[emperor]]) does not have a precise definition, but is generally applied to [[polities]] that are considered to be especially large by the standards of their time and that have acquired a significant part of their territory by conquest. This article provides a '''list of the largest empires''' in [[History of the world|world history]], but the list is not and cannot be definitive since the decision about which entities to consider as "empires" is difficult and fraught with controversy.<eod>