Nigeria Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Nigeria 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 Nigeria, Hausa States, Kanem-Bornu, Sokoto Caliphate, Benin.
NigeriaExplore the history of Nigeria in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Nigeria as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Nigeria, 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 12% |
| 1200 | Tuareg Nomadic Tribes 12% |
| 1300 | Benin 15% · Kanem-Bornu 12% |
| 1400 | Benin 15% · Kanem-Bornu 12% |
| 1492 | Hausa States 21% · Benin 15% · Kanem-Bornu 9% |
| 1500 | Hausa States 21% · Benin 15% · Kanem-Bornu 9% |
| 1600 | Hausa States 26% · Benin 15% · Kanem-Bornu 15% |
| 1650 | Hausa States 26% · Kanem-Bornu 18% · Benin 15% |
| 1700 | Hausa States 26% · Kanem-Bornu 18% · Benin 15% |
| 1783 | Hausa States 26% · Kanem-Bornu 18% · Oyo 15% |
| 1800 | Hausa States 26% · Kanem-Bornu 18% · Oyo 15% |
| 1815 | Fulani Empire 68% · Sotho 12% · Kanem-Bornu 3% |
| 1880 | Sokoto Caliphate 65% · Benin 6% · Ibadan 6% |
| 1900 | Sokoto Caliphate 65% · Benin 6% · Ibadan 6% |
| 1914 | Nigeria 94% · Kamerun 6% |
| 1920 | Nigeria 100% |
| 1930 | Nigeria 100% |
| 1938 | Nigeria 100% |
| 1945 | Nigeria 100% |
| 1960 | Nigeria 100% |
| 1994 | Nigeria 100% |
| 2010 | Nigeria 100% |
Historic cities in Nigeria
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Nigeria?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Nigeria belonged to Nigeria, Hausa States, Kanem-Bornu, Sokoto Caliphate, Benin, Oyo, along with 11 other states.
What was Nigeria part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Nigeria lay within Hausa States.
What was Nigeria part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Nigeria 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.