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Historical map · 1000

Map of Africa in 1000

In 1000, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 15 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Fatimid Caliphate, the Buyid Dynasty and Hamdanid Emirates.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1000. 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.

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States and empires in Africa in 1000

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Fatimid Caliphate Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²911–1176
Buyid Dynasty Wikipedia729,000 km²1.1 million km²750–1259
Hamdanid Emirates Wikipedia333,000 km²399,000 km²936–1259
Caliphate of Córdoba Wikipedia283,000 km²564,000 km²936–1071
Byzantine Empire Wikipedia217,000 km²864,000 km²633–1474
Ziyadid dynasty Wikipedia216,000 km²216,000 km²866–1138
Makuria Wikipedia213,000 km²213,000 km²347–1518
Ghana Empire Wikipedia205,000 km²205,000 km²793–1201
Alodia Wikipedia124,000 km²124,000 km²347–1506
Barghawata Conference Wikipedia36,000 km²36,000 km²793–1065
Emirate of Sicily Wikipedia20,000 km²22,000 km²850–1093
Zagwe dynasty Wikipedia15,000 km²15,000 km²947–1271
Emirate of Nekor Wikipedia6,810 km²6,810 km²750–1027
Kingdom of Vaspurakan Wikipedia6,650 km²41,000 km²911–1027
Qarmatians Wikipedia6,550 km²6,710 km²899–1071

"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 900

New on the map: Fatimid Caliphate, Hamdanid Emirates, Caliphate of Córdoba, Zagwe dynasty, Kingdom of Vaspurakan.

Gone from the map: Tulunids, Rustamid dynasty, Aghlabid Dynasty, Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty, Idrisids, Kingdom of Axum, Emirate of Córdoba, Zaydi Alid dynasties, Cyprus Condominium, Sajid Dynasty, Bagratid Armenia, Emirate of Crete.

What comes next: 1100

Appear by 1100: Almoravid Dynasty, Great Seljuk Empire, Najahid Dynasty, Takrur, Uyunid Emirate, Hammadid Dynasty, Sultanate of Rum, Zirid dynasty, Norman Italy, Empire of Kanem, County of Edessa, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, Principality of Antioch, Zurayid dynasty.

Gone by 1100: Buyid Dynasty, Caliphate of Córdoba, Barghawata Conference, Emirate of Sicily, Emirate of Nekor, Kingdom of Vaspurakan, Qarmatians.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 1000?

The map data draws 15 states and other polities in Africa in 1000. The largest by land were the Fatimid Caliphate, the Buyid Dynasty, Hamdanid Emirates, the Caliphate of Córdoba and the Byzantine Empire.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1000?

Of the states on this map, the Fatimid Caliphate held the most land in total: about 1.9 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 1000 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1000, 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 1000