Niger Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Niger appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 12 different states, among them French West Africa, Niger, Sokoto Caliphate, Hausa States, Songhai.
NigerExplore the history of Niger in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Niger as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Niger, 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 700 | Saharan Nomadic Tribes 94% |
| 1200 | Tuareg Nomadic Tribes 94% |
| 1300 | Mali 27% |
| 1400 | Mali 25% |
| 1492 | Songhai 17% · Hausa States 13% |
| 1500 | Songhai 17% · Hausa States 13% |
| 1600 | Songhai 17% · Hausa States 13% |
| 1650 | Hausa States 25% · Songhai 17% |
| 1700 | Hausa States 25% · Songhai 17% |
| 1783 | Air 31% · Hausa States 25% · Songhai 13% |
| 1800 | Air 31% · Hausa States 25% · Songhai 13% |
| 1815 | Fulani Empire 46% |
| 1880 | Sokoto Caliphate 71% · Dendi Kingdom 4% · Borgu States 2% |
| 1900 | Sokoto Caliphate 71% · Borgu States 2% |
| 1914 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1920 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1930 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1938 | French West Africa 100% |
| 1945 | Niger 100% |
| 1960 | Niger 100% |
| 1994 | Niger 100% |
| 2010 | Niger 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Niger?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Niger belonged to French West Africa, Niger, Sokoto Caliphate, Hausa States, Songhai, Saharan Nomadic Tribes, along with 6 other states.
What was Niger part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Niger lay within Songhai.
What was Niger part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Niger lay within Sokoto 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.