Mali Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Mali appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 17 different states, among them Mali, French West Africa, Songhai, Empire of Ghana, Segu.
MaliExplore the history of Mali in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Mali as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Mali, 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 |
|---|---|
| AD 300 | Empire of Ghana 25% |
| AD 400 | Empire of Ghana 25% |
| AD 500 | Empire of Ghana 25% |
| AD 600 | Empire of Ghana 25% |
| AD 700 | Saharan Nomadic Tribes 56% · Empire of Ghana 21% |
| AD 800 | Ghana 15% |
| AD 900 | Ghana 10% |
| 1000 | Mali 17% · Ghana 13% |
| 1100 | Mali 17% · Ghana 13% · Almoravid dynasty 10% |
| 1200 | Berber Tribes 65% · Mali 15% · Ghana 10% |
| 1300 | Mali 75% |
| 1400 | Mali 75% |
| 1492 | Songhai 50% · Mali 15% |
| 1500 | Songhai 50% · Mali 15% |
| 1600 | Songhai 52% · Senegal 2% |
| 1650 | Morocco 35% · Mali 4% |
| 1700 | Morocco 35% · Mali 4% |
| 1783 | Segu 56% · Kaarta 10% |
| 1800 | Segu 56% · Kaarta 10% |
| 1815 | Kaarta 54% · Mossi States 6% |
| 1880 | Tukular Caliphate 50% · Wassoulou Empire 4% · Kong Empire 2% |
| 1900 | Tukular Caliphate 48% · First Samori Empire 6% · Mossi States 2% |
| 1914 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1920 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1930 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1938 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1945 | Mali 100% |
| 1960 | Mali 100% |
| 1994 | Mali 100% |
| 2010 | Mali 100% |
Historic cities in Mali
Famous people of Mali
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1280 – 1337 | Mansa Musa | Emperor of Mali |
| c. 1443 – 1538 | Askia Muhammad | Emperor of Songhai |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 1591 | Battle of Tondibi |
Landmarks
Djinguereber MosqueStanding · 1327
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Mali?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Mali belonged to Mali, French West Africa, Songhai, Empire of Ghana, Segu, Tukular Caliphate, along with 11 other states.
What was Mali part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Mali lay within Mali.
What was Mali part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Mali lay within Songhai.
What was Mali part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Mali lay within Tukular Caliphate.
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.