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African territory before the partition of Africa (1870s)
Before the partition, the African Territory was colonized by Britain and European powers. Slave trade was abolished between 1562 and 1807 and by the late 1870s the Europeans controlled 10% of Africa. Algeria was controlled by France, and Angola by Portugal. The portions of Africa that Europe had power over mainly included the coast and a short distance inland along big rivers. At this period of time, Belgium King Leopold had also begun to send emissaries to Africa to establish trade relations. -
African Territory After the Partition
After the Berlin Conference, which led to the Partition of Africa, 90% of Africa was divided between seven European countries. These countries were: France, England, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Liberia and Ethiopia were the only two countries that were not controlled over by 1914. At the Berlin Conference, the European countries decided how to divide up Africa in order to prevent war. Imperial rule did not last long in Africa but it affected the continent as a whole. -
Distribution of African Languages
Africa has a high linguistic diversity with 11 official languages yet over 2100 native languages distributed across the continent. A social problem resulting from the Scramble for Africa was that after parts of the continent got controlled by different places, each place spoke a different language. The five main language groups are Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharian, Niger-Congo, Khoisan, and Austronesian. Niger Congo has two branches – Niger Congo A and Niger Congo B. -
Current African States
Today, there are 54 African states and are all recognized by the United Nations. Each state has it’s own distinct currency, capital and language. The Berlin Conference of 1884 marks the cause of most African borders. In fact, not many of the locations of the states have changed since then. The relative location of Angola, a state in Africa, is right next to the Atlantic Ocean, a natural resource of Africa.
