Kazakhstan Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Kazakhstan appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 36 different states, among them USSR, Russian Empire, Kazakhstan, White Horde, central Asian khanates.
KazakhstanExplore the history of Kazakhstan in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Kazakhstan as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Kazakhstan, 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.
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Kazakhstan?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Kazakhstan belonged to USSR, Russian Empire, Kazakhstan, White Horde, central Asian khanates, Kazakh Khanate, along with 30 other states.
What was Kazakhstan part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Kazakhstan lay within Kimek-Kipchak khaganate.
What was Kazakhstan part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Kazakhstan lay within White Horde.
What was Kazakhstan part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Kazakhstan lay within Russian 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.