Skip to content
Maps of History Start free

Historical map · 900

Map of the World in 900

In 900, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 115 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty, the Tang Dynasty and the Allegiance of Ziyadid dynasty to Abbasid Caliphate.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World in 900. 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 900 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 900
Atlas map: Iceland: A Society on a Volcanic Island (930)
FROM THE ATLAS · CLIMATE AND INNOVATION, CHAPTER 3: ICELAND: A SOCIETY ON A VOLCANIC ISLAND (930)

States and empires in the World in 900

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty Wikipedia5.1 million km²5.1 million km²886–999
Tang Dynasty Wikipedia3.1 million km²3.1 million km²623–910
Allegiance of Ziyadid dynasty to Abbasid Caliphate Wikipedia2.9 million km²2.9 million km²866–1138
Abbasid Caliphate Wikipedia2.4 million km²2.4 million km²750–1259
Tibetans Wikipedia1.9 million km²1.9 million km²850–1259
Allegiance of East Franks to Carolingian Empire Wikipedia1.7 million km²1.7 million km²850–910
Kimek-Kipchak confederation Wikipedia1.4 million km²1.4 million km²750–1235
Carolingian Empire Wikipedia1.2 million km²1.2 million km²462–989
Kievan Rus' Wikipedia986,000 km²986,000 km²880–1240
Tulunids Wikipedia974,000 km²974,000 km²875–910
Rashtrakuta Dynasty Wikipedia788,000 km²788,000 km²755–989
Khazaria Wikipedia748,000 km²748,000 km²630–979
Qocho Kingdom Wikipedia652,000 km²652,000 km²860–1138
Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty Wikipedia645,000 km²645,000 km²732–1039
Byzantine Empire Wikipedia634,000 km²634,000 km²633–1474
Srivijaya Wikipedia540,000 km²540,000 km²674–1293
Balhae Wikipedia482,000 km²482,000 km²705–925
Rustamid dynasty Wikipedia470,000 km²470,000 km²778–910
Oghuz Turks Wikipedia449,000 km²449,000 km²666–1055
Yenisei Kyrgyz Wikipedia422,000 km²422,000 km²555–1219
Kara-Khanids Wikipedia408,000 km²408,000 km²850–1138
Emirate of Córdoba Wikipedia406,000 km²406,000 km²757–935
Khmer Empire Wikipedia399,000 km²399,000 km²800–1539
West Franks Wikipedia375,000 km²375,000 km²850–989
Pala Empire Wikipedia329,000 km²329,000 km²750–1168
Nanzhao Wikipedia323,000 km²323,000 km²741–910
First Bulgarian Empire Wikipedia315,000 km²315,000 km²682–1017
Kingdom of Khotan Wikipedia298,000 km²298,000 km²888–1009
Old Kingdom of Norway Wikipedia281,000 km²281,000 km²866–1401
Aghlabid Dynasty Wikipedia246,000 km²246,000 km²800–910
Heian Japan Wikipedia244,000 km²244,000 km²793–1187
Kingdom of Lower Burgundy Wikipedia243,000 km²243,000 km²860–935
Ganzhou Kingdom Wikipedia233,000 km²233,000 km²860–1039
Sind-Habbari Dynasty Wikipedia230,000 km²230,000 km²860–1201
Scandinavian minor kingdoms Wikipedia228,000 km²228,000 km²800–1002
Makuria Wikipedia213,000 km²213,000 km²347–1518
Ghana Empire Wikipedia205,000 km²205,000 km²793–1201
Idrisids Wikipedia195,000 km²195,000 km²793–979
Later Mayan City-States Wikipedia178,000 km²178,000 km²247 BC–AD 1546
Principality of Hungary Wikipedia172,000 km²172,000 km²900–999

Also on the map: Kashmir, Haripuñjaya, Chámpa, Kingdom of Asturias, Lavo Kingdom, Unified Silla, Alodia, Magyars, Bagratid Armenia, Kingdom of Axum, Pyu City-States, Kamarupa Kingdom, Georgia, Pandya Dynasty, Chandra Dynasty, Brythonic Kingdoms, Anglo-Saxon England, Anurādhapura, Qarmatians, Chola Empire, Mataram Kingdom, Kingdom of Wessex, Sajid Dynasty, Danelaw, Viking settlements, Kingdom of Brittany, Duchy of Bohemia, Volga Bulgaria, Kingdom of Alba, Shirvan, Upper Burgundy, Zaydi Alid dynasties, Principality of Serbia, Barghawata Conference, Galuh Kingdom, Sunda Kingdom, Pagan Kingdom, Nitra, Hubaekje, Kingdom of the Iberians, Emirate of Sicily, Puebloans - Chaco Regional System, County of Ribagorza, Great Moravia, Duchy of Croatia, Classic Veracruz Culture, Principality of Salerno, Papal States, Kingdom of Northumbria, Obotrites, Duchy of Benevento, Cyprus Condominium, Giudicato of Cagliari, Strathclyde, Kingdom of Seisyllwg, Giudicato of Logudoro, Emirate of Nekor, Kingdom of Gwynedd, County of Barcelona, Toltec, Emirate of Crete, County of Pallars, County of Rosellón, Giudicato of Gallura, Cornwall, County of Berga, Giudicato of Arborea, County of Aragon, County of Urgell, Republic of Venice, County of Besalú, Kingdom of Brycheiniog, Kingdom of Morgannwg, Kingdom of Gwent, Duchy of Naples.

"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 800

New on the map: Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty, Allegiance of Ziyadid dynasty to Abbasid Caliphate, Tibetans, Allegiance of East Franks to Carolingian Empire, Kievan Rus', Tulunids, Qocho Kingdom, Kara-Khanids, West Franks, Kingdom of Khotan, Old Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Lower Burgundy, Ganzhou Kingdom, Sind-Habbari Dynasty, Principality of Hungary, Magyars, Bagratid Armenia, Chandra Dynasty, Qarmatians, Chola Empire, Kingdom of Wessex, Sajid Dynasty, Danelaw, Kingdom of Brittany, Duchy of Bohemia, Kingdom of Alba, Shirvan, Upper Burgundy, Zaydi Alid dynasties, Pagan Kingdom and others.

Gone from the map: Tibetan Empire, Uyghur Khaganate, Water Chenla, Qarlugs, Turk Shahis, Avar Khaganate, Karkota Dynasty, Late Pallava Empire, Kingdom of Mercia, Dál Riata, Breton Kingdoms, Duchy of Gascony, Zapotec Civilization, Kingdom of Powys.

What comes next: 1000

Appear by 1000: Northern Song, Ghaznavid Empire, Fatimid Caliphate, Liao Dynasty, Holy Roman Empire, Western Chalukya Empire, Caliphate of Córdoba, Allegiance of Duchy of Aquitaine to Kingdom of France, Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of France, Hamdanid Emirates, Kingdom of Dali, Seljuk Dynasty, Kingdom of Hungary, Kingdom of England, Chauhan Dynasty, Paramara Dynasty, Chaulukya Dynasty, Utpala Dynasty, Kingdom of Denmark, Goryeo, Ngô Dynasty, Kingdom of León, Kingdom of Arles, Western Xia, Icelandic Commonwealth, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Croatia, Chandela Kingdom, Kingdom of Vaspurakan and others.

Gone by 1000: Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Allegiance of East Franks to Carolingian Empire, Carolingian Empire, Tulunids, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, Khazaria, Balhae, Rustamid dynasty, Emirate of Córdoba, West Franks, Nanzhao, Aghlabid Dynasty, Kingdom of Lower Burgundy, Idrisids, Principality of Hungary, Kingdom of Asturias, Unified Silla, Magyars, Kingdom of Axum, Pandya Dynasty, Anglo-Saxon England, Kingdom of Wessex, Sajid Dynasty, Danelaw, Kingdom of Brittany, Upper Burgundy, Zaydi Alid dynasties, Principality of Serbia, Nitra and others.

Read the history of 900

Guided atlas chapters set near this date, each with its own map, causes and consequences:

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the World in 900?

The map data draws 115 states and other polities in the World in 900. The largest by land were the Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the Allegiance of Ziyadid dynasty to Abbasid Caliphate, the Abbasid Caliphate and Tibetans.

What was the largest empire in the world in 900?

Of the states on this map, the Alliance between Samanid Empire and Ziyadid dynasty held the most land in total: about 5.1 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore the World in 900 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 900, 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.

World in other years

Other regions in 900