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Historical map · 400

Map of Africa in 400

In 400, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 12 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Eastern Roman Empire, the Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire and the Sasanian Empire. The Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 3.9 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 400. 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 400 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 400
Atlas map: The Storm from the North (Ad 396)
FROM THE ATLAS · ROME, CHAPTER 10: THE STORM FROM THE NORTH (AD 396)

States and empires in Africa in 400

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Eastern Roman Empire Wikipedia1.1 million km²1.8 million km²31 BC–AD 632
Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire Wikipedia898,000 km²3.9 million km²358–450
Sasanian Empire Wikipedia898,000 km²3.0 million km²215–643
Western Roman Empire Wikipedia312,000 km²2.1 million km²395–475
Himyarite Kingdom Wikipedia297,000 km²297,000 km²110 BC–AD 601
Lakhmid Kingdom Wikipedia259,000 km²259,000 km²270–633
Nobatia Wikipedia148,000 km²148,000 km²347–655
Alodia Wikipedia124,000 km²124,000 km²347–1506
Kingdom of Axum Wikipedia97,000 km²97,000 km²50 BC–AD 946
Huns Wikipedia71,000 km²1.4 million km²106–673
Makuria Wikipedia65,000 km²65,000 km²347–1518
Visigoths Wikipedia15,000 km²45,000 km²396–425

"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 300

New on the map: Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire, Western Roman Empire, Nobatia, Alodia, Huns, Makuria, Visigoths.

Gone from the map: Kingdom of Kush, Hadhramaut, Kingdom of Armenia, Kingdom of Adiabene.

What comes next: 500

Appear by 500: Allegiance of Ostrogothic Kingdom to Eastern Roman Empire, Vandal Kingdom, Visigothic Kingdom.

Gone by 500: Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire, Western Roman Empire, Huns, Visigoths.

Read the history of 400

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 400?

The map data draws 12 states and other polities in Africa in 400. The largest by land were the Eastern Roman Empire, the Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire, the Sasanian Empire, the Western Roman Empire and the Himyarite Kingdom.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 400?

Of the states on this map, the Allegiance of Kidarites to Sasanian Empire held the most land in total: about 3.9 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 400 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 400, 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 400