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Historical map · AD 1

Map of Africa in AD 1

In AD 1, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 16 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Roman Empire, the Parthian Empire and the Kingdom of Kush. The Roman Empire reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 3.5 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in AD 1. Zoom in, move the year slider to watch the borders change, or ask the history guide a question and it draws the answer on the map.

OPEN AD 1 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about AD 1
Atlas map: Augustus (30 Bc)
FROM THE ATLAS · ROME, CHAPTER 6: AUGUSTUS (30 BC)

States and empires in Africa in AD 1

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Roman Empire Wikipedia1.3 million km²3.5 million km²31 BC–AD 632
Parthian Empire Wikipedia889,000 km²2.7 million km²239 BC–AD 237
Kingdom of Kush Wikipedia337,000 km²337,000 km²1000 BC–AD 346
Himyarite Kingdom Wikipedia336,000 km²336,000 km²110 BC–AD 601
Mauretania Wikipedia215,000 km²215,000 km²212 BC–AD 42
Kingdom of Axum Wikipedia97,000 km²97,000 km²50 BC–AD 946
Nabataeans Wikipedia90,000 km²90,000 km²164 BC–AD 105
Hadhramaut Wikipedia86,000 km²86,000 km²700 BC–AD 305
Kingdom of Osroene Wikipedia50,000 km²50,000 km²63 BC–AD 214
Judea Wikipedia32,000 km²32,000 km²144 BC–AD 5
Kingdom of Cappadocia Wikipedia21,000 km²87,000 km²239 BC–AD 22
Kingdom of Gordyene Wikipedia14,000 km²14,000 km²63 BC–AD 259
Kingdom of Adiabene Wikipedia14,000 km²14,000 km²63 BC–AD 370
Kingdom of Armenia Wikipedia13,000 km²217,000 km²326 BC–AD 646
Kingdom of Sophene Wikipedia2,900 km²24,000 km²256 BC–AD 113
Kingdom of Commagene Wikipedia2,230 km²9,640 km²63 BC–AD 77

"In the data" gives the first and last year the dataset draws the state under this identity; states often existed earlier or later in another form.

What changed since 100 BC

New on the map: Roman Empire, Kingdom of Axum, Kingdom of Osroene, Kingdom of Gordyene, Kingdom of Adiabene, Kingdom of Sophene, Kingdom of Commagene.

Gone from the map: Ptolemaic Kingdom, Kingdom of Numidia, Roman Republic, Minaeans, Cyrenaica, Seleucid Empire, Greek City-States, Sabaeans, Kingdom of Pontus, Qataban.

What comes next: 100

Gone by 100: Mauretania, Judea, Kingdom of Cappadocia, Kingdom of Commagene.

Read the history of AD 1

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in AD 1?

The map data draws 16 states and other polities in Africa in AD 1. The largest by land were the Roman Empire, the Parthian Empire, the Kingdom of Kush, the Himyarite Kingdom and Mauretania.

What was the largest empire in Africa in AD 1?

Of the states on this map, the Roman Empire held the most land in total: about 3.5 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in AD 1 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at AD 1, zoom into any region, move through the years, and ask the history guide questions: it answers in plain words and draws places, armies and borders on the map.

About these borders

The borders come from Cliopatria (v0.2.1, Seshat Global History Databank, CC BY 4.0), the dataset behind our interactive map, with our audited name and border corrections. It records each state's territory year by year from 3400 BC to 2024. Borders before modern surveys are reconstructions: the data draws a state where it held control, and frontier zones, nomadic realms and loose overlordships are approximate. Areas are measured on an equal-area projection. Read how we make our maps.

Africa in other years

Other regions in AD 1