Taiwan Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Taiwan appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 5 different states, among them Taiwan, Empire of Japan, Dutch Formosa, Taiwanese Tribes, Middag Kingdom.
TaiwanExplore the history of Taiwan in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of Taiwan, 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 |
|---|---|
| 1200 | Taiwanese Tribes 100% |
| 1492 | Taiwan 100% |
| 1500 | Taiwan 100% |
| 1650 | Dutch Formosa 77% · Middag Kingdom 19% |
| 1700 | Dutch Formosa 77% · Middag Kingdom 19% |
| 1880 | Taiwan 100% |
| 1914 | Empire of Japan 100% |
| 1920 | Empire of Japan 100% |
| 1930 | Empire of Japan 100% |
| 1938 | Empire of Japan 100% |
| 1945 | Taiwan 100% |
| 1960 | Taiwan 100% |
| 1994 | Taiwan 100% |
| 2010 | Taiwan 100% |
Historic cities in Taiwan
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Taiwan?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Taiwan belonged to Taiwan, Empire of Japan, Dutch Formosa, Taiwanese Tribes, Middag Kingdom.
What was Taiwan part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Taiwan lay within Taiwan.
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.