Approximate borders
The world in 400 BCE
76 states, peoples and territories are mapped in 400 BCE. The largest are Khoisan, Saharan pastoral nomads, Australian aboriginal hunter-gatherers.
Explore 400 BCE on the mapLargest in 400 BCE
Areas calculated from the map outlines (≈). Share of Earth's land area including Antarctica.
| # | State or people | Area | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khoisan | 11,734,614 km² (4,530,760 sq mi) | 7.9% |
| 2 | Saharan pastoral nomads | 10,296,453 km² (3,975,483 sq mi) | 6.9% |
| 3 | Australian aboriginal hunter-gatherers | 7,602,370 km² (2,935,292 sq mi) | 5.1% |
| 4 | Paleo-Siberian hunter-gatherers | 7,098,158 km² (2,740,614 sq mi) | 4.8% |
| 5 | West African cereal farmers | 6,033,497 km² (2,329,546 sq mi) | 4.1% |
| 6 | Achaemenid Empire | 6,019,915 km² (2,324,302 sq mi) | 4.0% |
| 7 | Arctic marine mammal hunters | 5,834,245 km² (2,252,615 sq mi) | 3.9% |
| 8 | Manioc farmers | 4,835,119 km² (1,866,850 sq mi) | 3.2% |
| 9 | Savanna hunter-gatherers | 4,816,290 km² (1,859,580 sq mi) | 3.2% |
| 10 | Subarctic forest hunter-gatherers | 4,322,918 km² (1,669,088 sq mi) | 2.9% |
| 11 | Amazon hunter-gatherers | 4,287,400 km² (1,655,374 sq mi) | 2.9% |
| 12 | Austro-Asiatic rice cultures | 4,029,447 km² (1,555,778 sq mi) | 2.7% |
What changed since 500 BCE
Comparing the two snapshots. Some differences reflect improved mapping rather than real events, especially before 1500.
Grew the most
- Hindu kingdoms1,415k km² → 2,410k km²
- Magadha187k km² → 646k km²
Shrank the most
- Proto-Altaic pastoralists4,994k km² → 644k km²
- Late Jomon culture280k km² → 167k km²
- Greek city-states246k km² → 148k km²
Appeared
- Austro-Asiatic rice cultures4,029k km²
- Xiongnu3,828k km²
- Proto-Tibetan cultures3,063k km²
- Hallstatt culture2,461k km²
- Scythians1,206k km²
- Zhangzhung Kingdom663k km²
- Proto-Thai cultures623k km²
- Donghu tribes553k km²
Disappeared
- Iron Age megalith cultures958k km²
- Meroe310k km²
- Illyrians198k km²
- El Paraiso157k km²
- Saba104k km²
- Kuru73k km²
- Pancala72k km²
- Avanti57k km²
Land that changed hands, 500 BCE – 400 BCE
No curated events for this period yet. Suggest one.