Côte d'Ivoire Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Côte d'Ivoire appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 11 different states, among them Ivory Coast, French West Africa, Asante, Kong Empire, Second Samori Empire.
Côte d'IvoireExplore the history of Côte d'Ivoire in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Côte d'Ivoire as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Côte d'Ivoire, 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 |
|---|---|
| 1300 | Mali 3% |
| 1400 | Mali 3% |
| 1492 | Akan 3% |
| 1500 | Akan 3% |
| 1650 | Mali 6% |
| 1700 | Mali 6% |
| 1783 | Asante 23% · Kong Empire 20% |
| 1800 | Asante 23% · Kong Empire 20% |
| 1815 | Asante 37% · Kaarta 3% · Mossi States 3% |
| 1880 | Kong Empire 34% · Wassoulou Empire 6% · Ivory Coast 6% |
| 1900 | Second Samori Empire 40% · Ivory Coast 6% · First Samori Empire 3% |
| 1914 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1920 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1930 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1938 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1945 | Ivory Coast 100% |
| 1960 | Ivory Coast 100% |
| 1994 | Ivory Coast 100% |
| 2010 | Ivory Coast 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Côte d'Ivoire?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Côte d'Ivoire belonged to Ivory Coast, French West Africa, Asante, Kong Empire, Second Samori Empire, Mali, along with 5 other states.
What was Côte d'Ivoire part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Côte d'Ivoire lay within Akan.
What was Côte d'Ivoire part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Côte d'Ivoire lay within Second Samori Empire.
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.