Mongolia Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Mongolia 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 Mongolia, Xiongnu, Manchu Empire, central Asian khanates, Chagatai Khanate.
MongoliaExplore the history of Mongolia in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Mongolia as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Mongolia, 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 |
|---|---|
| 400 BC | Xiongnu 90% |
| 200 BC | Xiongnu 98% |
| 100 BC | Xiongnu 98% |
| 1 BC | Xiongnu 100% |
| AD 100 | Southern Xiongnu 4% |
| AD 200 | Southern Xiongnu 4% |
| AD 400 | Ruanruan 94% |
| AD 500 | Ruanruan 94% |
| AD 600 | Göktürks 98% |
| AD 700 | Göktürks 98% |
| AD 800 | Uyghurs 98% |
| AD 900 | Uyghurs 98% |
| 1000 | Kimek-Kipchak khaganate 31% |
| 1100 | Cuman-Kipchak confederation 98% · Mongols 2% |
| 1200 | Mongol Empire 100% |
| 1300 | Great Khanate 90% · Chagatai Khanate 10% |
| 1400 | Northern Yuan 90% · Chagatai Khanate 10% |
| 1492 | Chagatai Khanate 100% |
| 1500 | Chagatai Khanate 100% |
| 1600 | central Asian khanates 100% |
| 1650 | central Asian khanates 100% |
| 1700 | central Asian khanates 94% · Tsardom of Muscovy 6% |
| 1783 | Qing Empire 100% |
| 1800 | Qing Empire 100% |
| 1815 | Manchu Empire 100% |
| 1880 | Manchu Empire 100% |
| 1900 | Manchu Empire 100% |
| 1914 | Mongolia 100% |
| 1920 | Mongolia 100% |
| 1930 | Mongolia 100% |
| 1938 | Mongolia 100% |
| 1945 | Mongolia 100% |
| 1960 | Mongolia 100% |
| 1994 | Mongolia 100% |
| 2010 | Mongolia 100% |
Historic cities in Mongolia
Famous people of Mongolia
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1162 – 1227 | Genghis Khan | Founder of the Mongol Empire |
| 1215 – 1294 | Kublai Khan | Founder of the Yuan dynasty |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Mongolia?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Mongolia belonged to Mongolia, Xiongnu, Manchu Empire, central Asian khanates, Chagatai Khanate, Qing Empire, along with 11 other states.
What was Mongolia part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Mongolia lay within Kimek-Kipchak khaganate.
What was Mongolia part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Mongolia lay within Chagatai Khanate.
What was Mongolia part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Mongolia lay within Manchu 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.