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Department History
Key Milestones
- The Founding Era
- Diplomacy and Revolution
- The Early Republic
- Securing the Republic
- The Antebellum Period
- The Civil War
- The Age of Imperialism
- Into the Twentieth Century
- The First World War
- The Interwar Period
- World War II
- The Cold War
- Bi-Polar Foreign Policy
- Entangling Alliances
- Détente
- Quest for Peace
- Cold War Denouement
- Toward the Twenty-First Century
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- Documents on the History of U.S. Foreign Relations
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- Diplomatic and Consular Posts, 1781-2010
- Department Personnel, 1781-1997
Frequently Asked Questions
Diplomatic and Consular Posts, 1781-2010
Diplomatic Posts includes Embassies and Legations only; does not include Embassy Branch Offices, U.S. Liaison Offices, U.S. Interests Sections, and Missions to International Organizations. Consular Posts includes Consulates and Consulates General only; does not include Consular Agencies.
| Year | Diplomatic Posts | Consular Posts |
| 1781 | 4 | 3 |
| 1790 | 2 | 10 |
| 1800 | 6 | 52 |
| 1810 | 4 | 60 |
| 1820 | 7 | 83 |
| 1830 | 15 | 141 |
| 1840 | 20 | 152 |
| 1850 | 27 | 197 |
| 1860 | 33 | 282 |
| 1870 | 36 | 318 |
| 1880 | 35 | 303 |
| 1890 | 41 | 323 |
| 1900 | 41 | 318 |
| 1910 | 48 | 324 |
| 1920 | 45 | 368 |
| 1930 | 57 | 299 |
| 1940 | 58 | 264 |
| 1950 | 74 | 179 |
| 1960 | 99 | 166 |
| 1970 | 117 | 122 |
| 1980 | 133 | 100 |
| 1990 | 145 | 97 |
| 2000 | 161 | 82 |
| 2010 | 168 | 89 |