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Historical map · 700

Map of Africa in 700

In 700, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 8 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Umayyad Caliphate, the Alliance between Byzantine Empire and Khazaria and Makuria.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 700. 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 700 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 700

States and empires in Africa in 700

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Umayyad Caliphate Wikipedia6.2 million km²8.6 million km²656–756
Alliance between Byzantine Empire and Khazaria Wikipedia263,000 km²2.6 million km²633–1474
Makuria Wikipedia213,000 km²213,000 km²347–1518
Alodia Wikipedia124,000 km²124,000 km²347–1506
Kingdom of Axum Wikipedia97,000 km²97,000 km²50 BC–AD 946
Visigothic Kingdom Wikipedia89,000 km²578,000 km²426–723
Dabuyid Dynasty Wikipedia36,000 km²65,000 km²644–756
Cyprus Condominium11,000 km²11,000 km²692–959

"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 600

New on the map: Umayyad Caliphate, Alliance between Byzantine Empire and Khazaria, Dabuyid Dynasty, Cyprus Condominium.

Gone from the map: Eastern Roman Empire, Sasanian Empire, Himyarite Kingdom, Ghassanids, Lakhmid Kingdom, Nobatia.

What comes next: 800

Appear by 800: Abbasid Caliphate, Rustamid dynasty, Aghlabid Dynasty, Ghana Empire, Idrisids, Emirate of Córdoba, Barghawata Conference, Emirate of Nekor.

Gone by 800: Umayyad Caliphate, Visigothic Kingdom, Dabuyid Dynasty.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 700?

The map data draws 8 states and other polities in Africa in 700. The largest by land were the Umayyad Caliphate, the Alliance between Byzantine Empire and Khazaria, Makuria, Alodia and the Kingdom of Axum.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 700?

Of the states on this map, the Umayyad Caliphate held the most land in total: about 8.6 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 700 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 700, 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 700