Eritrea Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Eritrea appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 12 different states, among them Eritrea, Axum, Ethiopia, Ottoman Empire, Awsa.
EritreaExplore the history of Eritrea in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of Eritrea, 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 |
|---|---|
| 300 BC | Damot 33% |
| 1 BC | Axum 33% |
| AD 100 | Axum 33% |
| AD 200 | Axum 33% |
| AD 300 | Axum 33% |
| AD 400 | Axum 33% |
| AD 500 | Axum 98% |
| AD 600 | Axum 33% |
| AD 700 | Axum 98% · Bega 2% |
| AD 800 | Axum 35% · Makkura 2% |
| AD 900 | Axum 27% |
| 1000 | Makkura 2% |
| 1100 | Makkura 2% |
| 1200 | Ifat 100% |
| 1300 | Makkura 17% · Ethiopia 4% |
| 1400 | Makkura 17% · Ethiopia 4% |
| 1492 | Ethiopia 50% |
| 1500 | Ethiopia 50% |
| 1600 | Ethiopia 69% · Adal 13% |
| 1650 | Ottoman Empire 33% · Ethiopia 31% · Awsa 27% |
| 1700 | Ottoman Empire 33% · Ethiopia 31% · Awsa 27% |
| 1783 | Ottoman Empire 33% · Ethiopia 31% · Awsa 27% |
| 1800 | Ottoman Empire 33% · Ethiopia 31% · Awsa 27% |
| 1815 | Ethiopia 10% |
| 1880 | Egypt 23% · Ethiopia 8% |
| 1900 | Egypt 23% · Ethiopia 8% |
| 1914 | Eritrea 100% |
| 1920 | Eritrea 100% |
| 1930 | Eritrea 100% |
| 1938 | Eritrea (Italy) 100% |
| 1945 | Eritrea 100% |
| 1960 | Eritrea 100% |
| 1994 | Eritrea 100% |
| 2010 | Eritrea 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Eritrea?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Eritrea belonged to Eritrea, Axum, Ethiopia, Ottoman Empire, Awsa, Ifat, along with 6 other states.
What was Eritrea part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Eritrea lay within Makkura.
What was Eritrea part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Eritrea lay within Ethiopia.
What was Eritrea part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Eritrea lay within Egypt.
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.