World map in 2000

Border history

The interactive map lets you inspect named territories in 2000 and compare them to earlier or later snapshots on the timeline.

Biographical context

Meet figures alive in, or close to, 2000 and move from political geography to the people connected to the period.

Era-based reading

The related chronicles below provide long-form reading tied closely to the contemporary period.

2000 – 2005

Second Intifada

Israel vs Palestinian militant groups and factions

The al-Aqsa Intifada turned the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into years of suicide bombings, urban raids, targeted killings and heavy fighting across the West Bank and Gaza.

Key battles and events: Battle of Jenin (2002); Siege of Ramallah (2002)

1999 – 2009

Second Chechen War

Russian Federation vs Chechen Republic of Ichkeria

Launched by Vladimir Putin after apartment bombings in Moscow, the war levelled Grozny and killed 50,000–80,000 people, mostly civilians. The conflict cemented Putin's grip on power and installed the Kadyrov dynasty to rule Chechnya.

Key battles and events: Battle of Dagestan (1999); Siege of Grozny (1999–2000)

1998 – 2000

Eritrean–Ethiopian War

Eritrea vs Ethiopia

Border fighting escalated into interstate war in 1998. A cessation of hostilities and the Algiers peace agreement followed in 2000.

Key battles and events: Badme fighting (1998–1999); Operation Sunset (1999)

1998 – 2003

Second Congo War

DR Congo, Angola, Namibia & Zimbabwe vs Rwanda, Uganda, RCD & MLC rebels

Known as 'Africa's World War,' the conflict drew in nine nations and 25 armed groups. An estimated 3.8 million people died, mostly from disease and starvation, making it the deadliest conflict since World War II.

Key battles and events: Battle of Kinshasa (August 1998); Battle of Kisangani (1999–2000)

1996 – 2006

Nepalese Civil War

Government of Nepal vs Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)

Maoist insurgents launched a 'People's War' against Nepal's monarchy, eventually controlling much of the countryside. The conflict ended when the Maoists joined mainstream politics, leading to the abolition of the monarchy and creation of a republic.

Key battles and events: Battle of Dunai (2001); Battle of Beni (2004)

1993 – 2005

Burundi Civil War

Burundian Government (Tutsi-led military) vs Hutu rebel groups (CNDD-FDD, FNL)

An ethnic civil war between the Tutsi-dominated military and Hutu rebel groups, paralleling the Rwandan genocide next door. An estimated 300,000 people died before a power-sharing agreement ended the conflict.

Key battles and events: October 1993 massacres; Battle of Bujumbura (1994)

1992 – 2002

Algerian Civil War

Algerian government vs Islamist insurgent groups

A brutal civil war that erupted after the cancellation of Algeria's elections, pitting the state against Islamist insurgents in a conflict marked by massacres and disappearances.

Key battles and events: Battle of Algiers (1997); Bentalha massacre (1997)

1991 – 2002

Sierra Leone Civil War

Sierra Leone Government & ECOMOG vs Revolutionary United Front (RUF)

The RUF, backed by Charles Taylor's Liberia and funded by 'blood diamonds', waged a campaign of terror that included mass amputations of civilians' hands. British military intervention in 2000 and a UN peacekeeping force finally ended the war.

Key battles and events: RUF invasion from Liberia (1991); January 6 invasion of Freetown (1999)

Ghana / New York

Kofi Annan

1938 – 2018

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, global advocate for human rights and development

United Kingdom

Margaret Thatcher

1925 – 2013

First female British Prime Minister, Falklands War, economic transformation of Britain

South Africa

Nelson Mandela

1918 – 2013

Anti-apartheid revolutionary, political prisoner for 27 years, first Black president of South Africa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

United States

Ronald Reagan

1911 – 2004

40th President of the United States, Cold War leadership, Reaganomics, transforming the conservative movement

California

Steve Jobs

1955 – 2011

Co-founder of Apple, personal computer revolution, iPhone, Pixar, design-driven innovation

Kenya

Wangari Maathai

1940 – 2011

Green Belt Movement, Nobel Peace Prize, environmental and democratic activism

Built 1996 · Asia

Cristo Rei of Dili

27-meter bronze statue of Christ atop Cape Fatucama in Dili, Timor-Leste, symbol of the nation's Catholic identity following independence

Built 1986 · Asia

Faisal Mosque

Islamabad's landmark mosque with a striking tent-shaped design by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay, one of the largest mosques in the world

Built 1986 · Africa

Hassan II Mosque

Mosque with the world's tallest minaret, partially built over the Atlantic Ocean in Casablanca

Built 1985 · Africa

Basilica of Our Lady of Peace

World's largest church by area, modelled on St. Peter's Basilica, in Yamoussoukro

Natural wonder · Asia

Darvaza Gas Crater

Burning natural gas crater in Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert, alight continuously since 1971

Built 1963 · Africa

Great Mosque of Touba

Holy city and largest mosque in sub-Saharan Africa, centre of the Mouride brotherhood in Senegal

Ghana / New York · Leader

Kofi Annan

The Conscience of the World

The story of a quiet boy from Kumasi who became the moral voice of a fractured world — from the Gold Coast to the glass towers of the United Nations, from Rwanda’s killing fields to the Nobel stage in Oslo.

South Africa · Revolutionary

Nelson Mandela

The Long Walk to Freedom

The story of a Xhosa chief’s son who became the world’s most famous prisoner, endured twenty-seven years behind bars, and emerged to dismantle apartheid and lead a nation back from the brink of civil war.

United States · Leader

Ronald Reagan

The Great Communicator

The story of a small-town boy from Dixon, Illinois, who went from Hollywood B-movies to the White House and helped bring down the Iron Curtain — the Great Communicator who reshaped American conservatism.

California · Revolutionary

Steve Jobs

The Man Who Thought Different

The story of an adopted kid from Mountain View who built the most valuable company on earth, was fired from his own creation, and returned to reinvent the personal computer, the phone, and the way the world listens to music.