Country history · Africa

History of Tanzania

21 recorded states lay in what is now Tanzania, from the Kilwa Sultanate (957 CE) to Tanzania. 3 of them have a full profile, and 4 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)7 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

10th century

  1. Kilwa Sultanate957 CE – 1513 CE · profile

14th century

  1. Empire of Kitara1300 CE – 1500 CE · kingdom

16th century

  1. Kingdom of Karagwe1500 CE – 1963 CE · kingdom

17th century

  1. Kingdom of Ihangiro1600 CE – 1963 CE · kingdom
  2. Kingdom of Kiziba1600 CE – 1963 CE · kingdom
  3. Kingdom of Kyamutwara1600 CE – 1963 CE · kingdom
  4. Ya'aruba dynasty1624 CE – 1744 CE · theocracy

18th century

  1. Shambaa Kingdom1730 CE – 1895 CE · kingdom
  2. Omani Empire1744 CE – 1856 CE · sultanate

19th century

  1. Kingdom of Bugabo1800 CE – 1963 CE · kingdom
  2. Kingdom of Kianja1800 CE – 1963 CE · kingdom
  3. Unyanyembe1800 CE – 1893 CE · chiefdom
  4. Hehe Kingdom1855 CE – 1898 CE · kingdom
  5. Sultanate of Zanzibar1856 CE – 1964 CE · profile
  6. Mirambo's state1860 CE – 1884 CE · chiefdom
  7. Nyungu ya Mawe's state1870 CE – 1884 CE · chiefdom
  8. German East Africa1885 CE – 1919 CE · colony

20th century

  1. Tanganyika Territory1920 CE – 1961 CE · colony
  2. Tanganyika1961 CE – 1964 CE · republic
  3. People's Republic of Zanzibar1964 CE – 1964 CE · republic
  4. Tanzania1964 CE – present · profile

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Horn and East Africa → States of Arabia and the Gulf → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of Tanzania. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/tanzania
MLA
“History of Tanzania.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/tanzania. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of Tanzania.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/tanzania.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of Tanzania’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/tanzania (Accessed: ).