Benin Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Benin appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 8 different states, among them French West Africa, Benin, Dahomey, Borgu States, Oyo.
BeninExplore the history of Benin in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of Benin, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 1492 | Oyo 10% |
| 1500 | Oyo 10% |
| 1600 | Oyo 6% |
| 1650 | Oyo 19% |
| 1700 | Oyo 19% |
| 1783 | Dahomey 31% |
| 1800 | Dahomey 31% |
| 1815 | Oyo 35% · Fulani Empire 13% |
| 1880 | Borgu States 54% · Dahomey 40% · Mossi States 4% |
| 1900 | Borgu States 54% · Dahomey 40% · Mossi States 4% |
| 1914 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1920 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1930 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1938 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1945 | Benin 100% |
| 1960 | Benin 100% |
| 1994 | Benin 100% |
| 2010 | Benin 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Benin?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Benin belonged to French West Africa, Benin, Dahomey, Borgu States, Oyo, Fulani Empire, along with 2 other states.
What was Benin part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Benin lay within Oyo.
What was Benin part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Benin lay within Borgu States.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.