Historical map · 1200

Map of North America in 1200

In 1200, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 5 states, empires and other polities in North America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Later Mayan City-States, Viking settlements and Norse Greenland.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on North America in 1200. 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 1200 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1200

States and empires in North America in 1200

State	In this region	Whole state	In the data
Later Mayan City-States Wikipedia	136,000 km²	136,000 km²	247 BC–AD 1546
Viking settlements Wikipedia	15,000 km²	47,000 km²	793–1332
Norse Greenland Wikipedia	15,000 km²	26,000 km²	1072–1384
Puebloans - Aztec Regional System Wikipedia	8,740 km²	8,740 km²	850–1304
Classic Veracruz Culture Wikipedia	5,480 km²	5,480 km²	555–1235

"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 1100

Gone from the map: Toltec.

What comes next: 1300

Appear by 1300: Old Kingdom of Norway, Texcoco.

Gone by 1300: Norse Greenland, Classic Veracruz Culture.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in North America in 1200?

The map data draws 5 states and other polities in North America in 1200. The largest by land were the Later Mayan City-States, Viking settlements, Norse Greenland, Puebloans - Aztec Regional System and Classic Veracruz Culture.

What was the largest empire in North America in 1200?

Of the states on this map, the Later Mayan City-States held the most land in total: about 136,000 km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore North America in 1200 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1200, 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.

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