Liberia Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Liberia appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 4 different states, among them Liberia, First Samori Empire, Mali, Sierra Leone.
LiberiaExplore the history of Liberia in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of Liberia, 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 |
|---|---|
| 1650 | Mali 2% |
| 1700 | Mali 2% |
| 1815 | Sierra Leone 4% |
| 1880 | Liberia 65% |
| 1900 | Liberia 63% · First Samori Empire 6% |
| 1914 | Liberia 100% |
| 1920 | Liberia 100% |
| 1930 | Liberia 100% |
| 1938 | Liberia 100% |
| 1945 | Liberia 100% |
| 1960 | Liberia 100% |
| 1994 | Liberia 100% |
| 2010 | Liberia 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Liberia?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Liberia belonged to Liberia, First Samori Empire, Mali, Sierra Leone.
What was Liberia part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Liberia lay within Liberia.
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.