Malaysia Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Malaysia appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 9 different states, among them Malaya, Malaysia, Srivijaya Empire, Malaysian Islamic states, minor Hindu and Buddhist states.
MalaysiaExplore the history of Malaysia in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Malaysia as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Malaysia, 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 |
|---|---|
| 200 BC | Mon-Khmer 40% |
| AD 800 | Srivijaya Empire 28% · minor Hindu and Buddhist states 15% |
| AD 900 | Srivijaya Empire 43% |
| 1000 | minor Hindu and Buddhist states 50% · Srivijaya Empire 43% |
| 1100 | minor Hindu and Buddhist states 78% · Srivijaya Empire 15% |
| 1200 | Srivijaya Empire 43% |
| 1300 | minor Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms 50% · Srivijaya Empire 43% |
| 1400 | minor Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms 50% · Srivijaya Empire 43% |
| 1492 | Malaysian Islamic states 60% · Ayutthaya 25% · Malacca 15% |
| 1500 | Malaysian Islamic states 60% · Ayutthaya 25% · Malacca 15% |
| 1600 | Malaysian Islamic states 60% · Ayutthaya 25% · Malacca 15% |
| 1650 | Malaya 100% |
| 1700 | Malaya 100% |
| 1783 | Malaya 100% |
| 1800 | Malaya 100% |
| 1815 | Malaya 100% |
| 1880 | Malaya 100% |
| 1900 | Malaya 100% |
| 1914 | Malaya 100% |
| 1920 | Malaysia 100% |
| 1930 | Malaysia 100% |
| 1938 | Malaysia 100% |
| 1945 | Malaysia 100% |
| 1960 | Malaysia 100% |
| 1994 | Malaysia 100% |
| 2010 | Malaysia 100% |
Historic cities in Malaysia
Famous people of Malaysia
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1371 – 1433 | Zheng He | Admiral and explorer |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Malaysia?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Malaysia belonged to Malaya, Malaysia, Srivijaya Empire, Malaysian Islamic states, minor Hindu and Buddhist states, minor Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms, along with 3 other states.
What was Malaysia part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Malaysia lay within minor Hindu and Buddhist states.
What was Malaysia part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Malaysia lay within Malaysian Islamic states.
What was Malaysia part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Malaysia lay within Malaya.
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.