Tibet: Map & History
While the Tibetan Plateau has been inhabited since pre-historic times, most of Tibet's history went unrecorded until the creation of Tibetan script in the 7th century.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
While the Tibetan Plateau has been inhabited since pre-historic times, most of Tibet's history went unrecorded until the creation of Tibetan script in the 7th century. Tibetan texts refer to the kingdom of Zhangzhung as the precursor of later Tibetan kingdoms and the originators of the Bon religion. While mythical accounts of early rulers of the Yarlung dynasty exist, historical accounts begin with the introduction of Tibetan script from the unified Tibetan Empire in the 7th century. Following the dissolution of Tibetan Empire and a period of fragmentation in the 9th–10th centuries, a Buddhist revival in the 10th–12th centuries saw the development of three of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
Modern Countries Once Part of Tibet
At its mapped extent, Tibet covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Tibet's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Tibet in Depth
Early history (c. 500 BC – AD 618)
According to Namkhai Norbu some Tibetan historical texts identify the Zhang Zhung culture as a people who migrated from the Amdo region into what is now the region of Guge in western Tibet. Zhang Zhung is considered to be the original home of the Bön religion.
By the 1st century BC, a neighboring kingdom arose in the Yarlung Valley, and the Yarlung king, Drigum Tsenpo, attempted to remove the influence of the Zhang Zhung by expelling the Zhang's Bön priests from Yarlung. Tsenpo was assassinated and Zhang Zhung continued its dominance of the region until it was annexed by Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century.
In AD 108, "the Kiang or Tibetans, a nomad from south-west of Koko-nor, attacked the Chinese posts of Gansu, threatening to cut the Dunhuang road.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: History of Tibet (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Interactive map
Tibet on the World War I map →
See Tibet on the day-by-day map of World War I.
Interactive map
Tibet on the World War II map →
See Tibet on the day-by-day map of World War II.
Tibet Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Tibet appears, with the other states of the time.
Tibet Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 1,604,861 km² in 1700 CE.
Tibet: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Tibet exist?
Tibet is dated to 1363 CE – 1952 CE, in the High & Late Middle Ages era.
How large was Tibet at its peak?
At its peak in 1700 Tibet covered about 1,604,861 km².
How did the map of Tibet change over time?
Tibet appears on 6 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1400 CE to 1945 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram