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African territory before the partition of Africa (1870s)
The European colonization of Africa began in the 1400’s and 1500’s during the Age of Exploration. The first colonial powers were the Portuguese and Spanish who established colonies on the west and east coasts of Africa as way stations on the way to India. These colonies were small coastal forts where Portuguese and Indian ships could resupply with water and food. -
African territory before the partition of Africa (1870s)
The next big wave of colonization occurred during the 1600’s and 1700’s when the Portuguese and Spanish lost control of some of their coastal forts during various wars fought with the other European powers: Britain, France, and the Netherlands. After losing their colonies in India to the British, the French concentrated on North and West Africa. The Dutch colonized South Africa but lost their colony to British control. -
African Territory Before The Partition of Africa(1870's)
The British took control of the coastal areas that would support their shipping routes to India. Portugal and Spain were left with the colonies no one else wanted and remained in control of these colonies until 1975. The British and French powers were content to maintain their control of the coastal areas and leave control of the interior to the native tribes. However, they expanded quickly into other African territories if they saw a threat to their coastal enclaves. -
African territory after the partition of Africa (1914) - including colonizing powers
The final push of European colonization came from 1880 to 1914 as the result of European rivalries. During the 1860’s and 1870’s, Italy and Germany united into individual countries and looked to Africa and Asia to get their share of colonies. To prevent war between each other, the European powers divided Africa between themselves at the Berlin Conference of 1885.Even the King of Belgium established a colony in the Congo in the 1880’s and ran it as a personal possession until 1908. -
African Territory after the Partition of Africa
With the completion of the Suez Canal which shortened the time for the British Navy and British merchant ships to travel to India, the British move to consolidate all their colonies in order to protect the Suez Canal and the route to India. This consolidation required the British to push their boundaries as far as possible to protect their colonies from encroachment from the Italians, French, and Germans. -
Distribution of African Languages (ethnic distribution dimension)
When the European powers divided Africa between themselves at the Berlin Conference of 1885, they did not consider how the new borders would affect various ethnic groups. As a result, the colonial borders that became the national borders after independence separated many ethnic groups. For example, the Berber speaking nomads of North and Central Africa soon found themselves on opposite borders after independence. -
African Territory after the Partition of Africa
The Germans established colonies in west and east Africa. These included the present day countries of Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Namibia, and parts of present day Ghana, Nigeria, Botswana, and Kenya. The Italians tried to conquer the Ethiopian empire but were defeated at the Battle of Adowa in 1896. Consequently, the Italians colonized Libya, Eritrea, and Somaliland. The French moved into North Africa establishing control over Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. -
African Territory after the Partition of Africa
By 1914, only Ethiopia and Liberia, a colony established by freed American slaves remained independent. After World War I, the Germans lost their African colonies to the British and French who administered them as protectorates. -
Current African States
the Suez Canal still remains strategically important because of the cargo ships that sail between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. South Africa still remains important because of the supertankers and super container ships that circle around the tip of Africa. These ships often need to pull into South African ports for supplies and repairs. -
Current African States
Nigeria is also experiencing ethnic violence, but this violence is increased by the religious differences between the ethnic groups. The northern ethnic groups are mostly Moslem and the southern majorities are mostly Christian and both groups struggle for power and control of the country’s oil wealth. The North African countries are mostly Arabic but are experiencing problems after being controlled by dictatorships like that existed in Tunisia and Libya until last year. -
Current African States
All current African states have borders established before 1914 but were made without any consideration to the various ethnic groups. As a result, there have been violent struggles between various ethnic groups. For example, ethnic violence in Rwanda in 1994 resulted in the deaths of over 500,000 Tutsis by the majority Hutus. This violence spilled over into Burundi where the Tutsis were the majority and the Hutus the minority and in to the Congo. -
Resource page
Works Cited Morris, Donald R. The Washing of The Spears. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1965. Print. Pakenham, Thomas. The Boer War. New York: Random House, Inc., 1979. Print.
