Myanmar Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Myanmar appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 31 different states, among them Burma, British Raj, Burmese kingdoms, Pagan, Ava.
MyanmarExplore the history of Myanmar in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Myanmar as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Myanmar, 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 | Thai 75% · Mon-Khmer 23% · Arakan 2% |
| 100 BC | Arakan 4% |
| 1 BC | Arakan 4% |
| AD 100 | Arakan 4% |
| AD 500 | Gupta Empire 4% · Lavo 2% |
| AD 600 | Arakan 4% |
| AD 700 | Nan-Zhao 21% · Tufan Empire 10% |
| AD 800 | Rajput Clans and Small States 38% · Pyu state 25% · Mon state 19% |
| AD 900 | Pagan 27% · Mon States 21% · Tibetan Empire 19% |
| 1000 | Kingdom of Pagan 56% · Senas 8% · Tibet 6% |
| 1100 | Kingdom of Sukhotai 50% · Pyu state 25% · Mon state 19% |
| 1200 | Bagan 42% · Pyu state 25% · Mon state 19% |
| 1300 | Pagan 88% · Sukhothai 4% |
| 1400 | Pagan 88% · Sukhothai 4% |
| 1492 | Burmese kingdoms 81% · Pegu 13% · Ayutthaya 4% |
| 1500 | Burmese kingdoms 81% · Pegu 13% · Ayutthaya 4% |
| 1600 | Burmese kingdoms 40% · Shan states 31% · Pegu 21% |
| 1650 | Ava 56% · Shan states 27% · Arakan 17% |
| 1700 | Ava 56% · Shan states 27% · Arakan (Indian princely state) 17% |
| 1783 | Burma 83% · Arakan 17% |
| 1800 | Burma 83% · Arakan 17% |
| 1815 | Burma 83% · Arakan 17% |
| 1880 | British Raj 100% |
| 1900 | British Raj 100% |
| 1914 | British Raj 100% |
| 1920 | British Raj 100% |
| 1930 | British Raj 100% |
| 1938 | British Raj 100% |
| 1945 | Burma 100% |
| 1960 | Burma 100% |
| 1994 | Burma 100% |
| 2010 | Burma 100% |
Historic cities in Myanmar
Famous people of Myanmar
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1014 – 1077 | Anawrahta | King of Pagan |
Landmarks
Ananda TempleStanding · 1105
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Myanmar?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Myanmar belonged to Burma, British Raj, Burmese kingdoms, Pagan, Ava, Arakan, along with 25 other states.
What was Myanmar part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Myanmar lay within Kingdom of Pagan.
What was Myanmar part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Myanmar lay within Burmese kingdoms.
What was Myanmar part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Myanmar lay within British Raj.
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.