What lands did the Khitan Liao dynasty control at the height of its power?

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At the height of its power, the Khitan Liao dynasty (907–1125) controlled a vast territory that encompassed the following regions:

  • Manchuria: The empire occupied practically the whole of this historical region.1
  • Mongolian Plateau: The Liao held the greater part of this area.1
  • North China: The dynasty controlled parts of North China, including the 16 prefectures located south of the Great Wall, where they established Yanjing (modern-day Beijing) as their southern capital.12
  • Korean Peninsula: The empire extended its reach into parts of northern Korea.1

To manage these diverse territories, the Liao employed a dual system of administration: a northern government that ruled the nomadic tribes of the steppes according to traditional tribal laws and customs, and a southern government that administered the agricultural Chinese regions using a system modeled after the Tang dynasty.32