Madagascar Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands

The land of today's Madagascar appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 6 different states, among them Madagascar, Madagascar (France), Merina Kingdom, Vazimba, Malagasy.

Madagascar

Explore the history of Madagascar in the interactive map

Compare 1000 with today · Madagascar as a state on the map

Who ruled the land of Madagascar, 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 Madagascar?

On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Madagascar belonged to Madagascar, Madagascar (France), Merina Kingdom, Vazimba, Malagasy, Imerina.

What was Madagascar part of in 1000?

On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Madagascar lay within Madagascar.

What was Madagascar part of in 1500?

On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Madagascar lay within Madagascar.

What was Madagascar part of in 1900?

On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Madagascar lay within Madagascar.

Further reading

• History of Madagascar in Encyclopaedia Britannica
• History of Madagascar on Wikipedia

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.