Tanzania Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Tanzania appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 14 different states, among them Tanzania, United Republic of, German E. Africa (Tanganyika), Islamic city-states, Mirambo Unyanyembe Ukimbu, Sultanate of Zanzibar.
TanzaniaExplore the history of Tanzania in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Tanzania as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Tanzania, 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 |
|---|---|
| 1000 | Islamic city-states 9% |
| 1100 | Islamic city-states 9% |
| 1200 | Islamic city-states 9% |
| 1300 | Islamic city-states 9% |
| 1400 | Islamic city-states 9% |
| 1492 | Islamic city-states 9% |
| 1500 | Islamic city-states 9% |
| 1600 | Islamic city-states 16% · Luba 3% |
| 1650 | Luba 3% |
| 1700 | Luba 3% |
| 1783 | Luba 3% · Rift Valley States 3% · Zanzibar 3% |
| 1800 | Luba 3% · Rift Valley States 3% · Zanzibar 3% |
| 1815 | Burundi 9% · Rwanda 9% · Nkore 3% |
| 1880 | Mirambo Unyanyembe Ukimbu 22% · Sultanate of Zanzibar 13% · Nguni 6% |
| 1900 | Mirambo Unyanyembe Ukimbu 22% · Sultanate of Zanzibar 13% · Nguni 6% |
| 1914 | German E. Africa (Tanganyika) 100% |
| 1920 | Tanzania, United Republic of 100% |
| 1930 | Tanzania, United Republic of 100% |
| 1938 | Tanzania, United Republic of 100% |
| 1945 | Tanzania, United Republic of 100% |
| 1960 | Tanzania, United Republic of 100% |
| 1994 | Tanzania, United Republic of 100% |
| 2010 | Tanzania, United Republic of 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Tanzania?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Tanzania belonged to Tanzania, United Republic of, German E. Africa (Tanganyika), Islamic city-states, Mirambo Unyanyembe Ukimbu, Sultanate of Zanzibar, Luba, along with 8 other states.
What was Tanzania part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Tanzania lay within Islamic city-states.
What was Tanzania part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Tanzania lay within Islamic city-states.
What was Tanzania part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Tanzania lay within Mirambo Unyanyembe Ukimbu.
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.