Namibia Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Namibia appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 4 different states, among them Namibia, Union of South Africa, German South-West Africa, Cape Colony.
NamibiaExplore the history of Namibia in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Namibia as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Namibia, 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880 | Cape Colony 2% |
| 1900 | Cape Colony 2% |
| 1914 | German South-West Africa 100% |
| 1920 | Union of South Africa 100% |
| 1930 | Union of South Africa 100% |
| 1938 | Union of South Africa 100% |
| 1945 | Namibia 100% |
| 1960 | Namibia 100% |
| 1994 | Namibia 100% |
| 2010 | Namibia 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Namibia?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Namibia belonged to Namibia, Union of South Africa, German South-West Africa, Cape Colony.
What was Namibia part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Namibia lay within Cape Colony.
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.