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Historical map · 1500

Map of Africa in 1500

In 1500, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 25 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Mamluk Sultanate, Aq Qoyunlu and the Songhai Empire. The Timurid Empire reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 1.9 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 1500. 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 1500 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1500

States and empires in Africa in 1500

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Mamluk Sultanate Wikipedia1.5 million km²1.5 million km²1241–1518
Aq Qoyunlu Wikipedia943,000 km²1.7 million km²1407–1511
Songhai Empire Wikipedia631,000 km²631,000 km²1463–1608
Ethiopian Empire Wikipedia394,000 km²394,000 km²1272–1935
Wattasid dynasty Wikipedia384,000 km²384,000 km²1468–1555
Tahirid Sultanate379,000 km²379,000 km²1459–1515
Mali Empire Wikipedia347,000 km²347,000 km²1236–1611
Hafsid Dynasty Wikipedia224,000 km²224,000 km²1236–1571
Makuria Kingdom Wikipedia213,000 km²213,000 km²347–1518
Bornu Empire Wikipedia202,000 km²202,000 km²1072–1894
Adal Sultanate Wikipedia150,000 km²150,000 km²1415–1578
Kingdom of Kongo Wikipedia132,000 km²132,000 km²1440–1669
Zayyanid dynasty Wikipedia126,000 km²126,000 km²1236–1555
Alodia Wikipedia124,000 km²124,000 km²347–1506
Ottoman Empire Wikipedia116,000 km²929,000 km²1305–1923
Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile Wikipedia106,000 km²568,000 km²1475–1515
Crown of Castile Wikipedia86,000 km²412,000 km²1236–1515
Bahrani Dynasty Wikipedia47,000 km²70,000 km²1260–1520
Kingdom of Portugal Wikipedia25,000 km²113,000 km²1147–1911
Ramadanid Emirate Wikipedia24,000 km²24,000 km²1385–1515
Crown of Aragon Wikipedia20,000 km²156,000 km²1169–1515
Republic of Venice Wikipedia20,000 km²64,000 km²705–1796
Beylik of Dulkadir Wikipedia10,000 km²30,000 km²1344–1515
Timurid Empire Wikipedia1,730 km²1.9 million km²1375–1506
Republic of Genoa Wikipedia810 km²26,000 km²1010–1795

"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 1492

Between 1492 and 1500 the data shows the same states in Africa; their borders may still have moved.

What comes next: 1550

Appear by 1550: Funj Sultanate, Safavid Dynasty, Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy, Spanish Empire, Kingdom of Spain, Portuguese Empire, Portuguese Africa.

Gone by 1550: Mamluk Sultanate, Aq Qoyunlu, Tahirid Sultanate, Makuria Kingdom, Alodia, Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile, Crown of Castile, Bahrani Dynasty, Ramadanid Emirate, Crown of Aragon, Beylik of Dulkadir, Timurid Empire, Republic of Genoa.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 1500?

The map data draws 25 states and other polities in Africa in 1500. The largest by land were the Mamluk Sultanate, Aq Qoyunlu, the Songhai Empire, the Ethiopian Empire and Wattasid dynasty.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 1500?

Of the states on this map, the Timurid Empire 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 1500 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1500, 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 1500