east/west split : http://rome.mrdonn.org/maprome.gif

I am now tempted to try it-- would be so cool!

by comparison napoleon only ever got to about 13 builds:

http://www.eutopia.be/pixelpost_v1.7.1/images/20090328141715_europe1812.gif

I count 8 for the Spanish (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wggerman/map/hapsburg.htm), unless you include the HRE, and then it would be 11
,
5 for Nazi Germany (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/GDR.png), unless you count the occupied territories. If counting occupied lands, then 1942: (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/images/occupymap.jpg) 13
,
The Ottoman Empire (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/OttomanEmpireIn1683.png) had 10
and
Charlemange had 8 (http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/willow/history-of-europe2.gif)

The Axis had Germany, Italy, AH, France, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Rumania, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Warsaw, Tunis and Sevastapol.
23 centres - that sounds like a win - I'm not sure that the dependent states folks were anything less than conquered territories (although you could argue that Italy and possibly Rumania were independent allies, reducing the total to 19 - possibly 18 if you allow that Italy conquered Trieste (really that's a bit arguable but it does bring us nicely to the bare win for Germany))

Technically, IT, BUL and GRE should not be counted. Still a win though :)

The Soviet Union only had 10, while NATO had 21 during the Cold War and 28 now.

But Nato can't control anything.

yeah, with the French not in the command structure of NATO, it's effectively a draw between all of the members. Even during the cold war.

also NOW russia wants to form it's own mutual defensive pact with NATO, or instead of NATO, where they are a founding member and have some say, making themselves look strong in the eyes of their people. (very important to politicians these days...)

France not being in the command structure was just to give the option of a separate peace, and was initiated because de Gaulle was a little bitch about Algeria. If there had been a war on the North German Plain, you can bet France would have worked in concert with the rest of NATO. It's not like France ever actually left.

"also NOW russia wants to form it's own mutual defensive pact with NATO, or instead of NATO, where they are a founding member and have some say, making themselves look strong in the eyes of their people."

I don't have any idea what you mean by that. Russia sure doesn't want NATO expanding any further into its old territory, and it's part of the Partnership for Peace, but that's quite a different thing from Russia wanting to join NATO through the backdoor or setting up a new Warsaw Pact of sorts.

I would count Hungary as an independant ally in 1942 aswell and Bulgaria barely got involved in the war and was entirely independant.

Ah, but I think the EU wins. (http://www.delalb.ec.europa.eu/files/images/EU.gif)
25 supply centers.

Modern NATO has 28.

Well, if you want to count stuff like that, then th Council of Europe has 33 (No Tunis)
and the United Nations has 34 (all)