Canada Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Canada 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 Canada, Rupert's Land, Cree, Michif Piyii (Métis), New France.
CanadaExplore the history of Canada in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Canada as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Canada, 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 | Michif Piyii (Métis) 19% · Wabanaki (Dawnland Confederacy) 2% · Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee) 2% |
| 1600 | Cree 8% |
| 1650 | Cree 8% · New France 4% |
| 1700 | Cree 8% · New France 4% |
| 1783 | Rupert's Land 79% · Quebec 4% |
| 1800 | Rupert's Land 79% · Quebec 4% |
| 1815 | Canada 100% |
| 1880 | Canada 100% |
| 1900 | Canada 100% |
| 1914 | Canada 100% |
| 1920 | Canada 100% |
| 1930 | Canada 100% |
| 1938 | Canada 100% |
| 1945 | Canada 100% |
| 1960 | Canada 100% |
| 1994 | Canada 100% |
| 2010 | Canada 100% |
Historic cities in Canada
Famous people of Canada
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1574 – 1635 | Samuel de Champlain | Explorer |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 1759 | Battle of Plains of Abraham |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Canada?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Canada belonged to Canada, Rupert's Land, Cree, Michif Piyii (Métis), New France, Quebec, along with 2 other states.
What was Canada part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Canada lay within Canada.
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.