South Africa Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's South Africa appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 9 different states, among them South Africa, Union of South Africa, Cape Colony, Dutch settlements, Dutch East Indies.
South AfricaExplore the history of South Africa in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · South Africa as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of South Africa, 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 |
|---|---|
| 1783 | Dutch settlements 21% · Cape Colony 13% · Xhosa 4% |
| 1800 | Dutch settlements 21% · Cape Colony 13% · Xhosa 4% |
| 1815 | Dutch East Indies 21% · Cape Colony 13% · Xhosa 4% |
| 1880 | Cape Colony 71% · Griqualand West 8% · Orange Free State 6% |
| 1900 | Cape Colony 71% · Griqualand West 8% · Orange Free State 6% |
| 1914 | South Africa 100% |
| 1920 | Union of South Africa 100% |
| 1930 | Union of South Africa 100% |
| 1938 | Union of South Africa 100% |
| 1945 | South Africa 100% |
| 1960 | South Africa 100% |
| 1994 | South Africa 100% |
| 2010 | South Africa 100% |
Historic cities in South Africa
Famous people of South Africa
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 – 2013 | Nelson Mandela | President of South Africa |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 1838 | Battle of Blood River |
| 1879 | Battle of Isandlwana |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of South Africa?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern South Africa belonged to South Africa, Union of South Africa, Cape Colony, Dutch settlements, Dutch East Indies, Griqualand West, along with 3 other states.
What was South Africa part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's South Africa 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.