United States Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's United States appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 27 different states, among them United States, United States of America, Hopewell Culture, Luisiana, Viceroyalty of New Spain.
United StatesExplore the history of United States in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · United States as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of United States, 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 |
|---|---|
| 100 BC | Hopewell Culture 10% |
| 1 BC | Hopewell Culture 10% |
| AD 100 | Hopewell Culture 10% |
| AD 200 | Hopewell Culture 10% |
| AD 300 | Hopewell Culture 10% |
| AD 400 | Hopewell Culture 10% |
| AD 500 | Hopewell Culture 8% |
| AD 800 | Anasazi 13% |
| AD 900 | Anasazi 13% |
| 1492 | Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) 5% · Michif Piyii (Métis) 5% · Nʉmʉnʉʉ (Comanche) 5% |
| 1500 | Iroquois 5% · Apache 3% · Navajo 3% |
| 1600 | Comanche 3% |
| 1650 | Massachusetts Bay 3% · Comanche 3% |
| 1700 | Massachusetts Bay 3% · Comanche 3% |
| 1783 | Luisiana 31% · United States of America 26% · Viceroyalty of New Spain 13% |
| 1800 | Luisiana 31% · United States of America 26% · Viceroyalty of New Spain 13% |
| 1815 | United States 54% · Russian Empire 23% · Viceroyalty of New Spain 21% |
| 1880 | United States of America 97% · Kingdom of Hawaii 3% |
| 1900 | United States of America 97% · Kingdom of Hawaii 3% |
| 1914 | United States 100% |
| 1920 | United States 100% |
| 1930 | United States 100% |
| 1938 | United States 100% |
| 1945 | United States 100% |
| 1960 | United States 100% |
| 1994 | United States 100% |
| 2010 | United States 100% |
Historic cities in United States
Famous people of United States
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1706 – 1790 | Benjamin Franklin | Scientist and statesman |
| 1728 – 1779 | James Cook | Navigator |
| 1732 – 1799 | George Washington | First president of the United States |
| 1743 – 1826 | Thomas Jefferson | Third president of the United States |
| c. 1758 – 1819 | Kamehameha I | King of Hawaiʻi |
| 1809 – 1865 | Abraham Lincoln | Sixteenth president of the United States |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 1620 | Plymouth Colony |
| 1775 | Battle of Lexington and Concord |
| 1781 | Battle of Yorktown |
| 1836 | Battle of The Alamo |
| 1863 | Battle of Gettysburg |
| 1941 | Battle of Pearl Harbor |
Landmarks
Independence HallStanding · 1753
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of United States?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern United States belonged to United States, United States of America, Hopewell Culture, Luisiana, Viceroyalty of New Spain, Anasazi, along with 21 other states.
What was United States part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's United States lay within Iroquois.
What was United States part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's United States lay within United States of America.
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.