Scramble for Africa 1870–1914 – colonial map by year
HistoryRevolutions & Industrial AgeAges 13–14
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Sign in to playA hand-drawn map of Africa with a year slider from 1870 to 1914 colours each area by the colonial power that ruled or claimed it: Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy and Spain, as well as the Ottoman Empire and the Boer republics. A chart shows each power's share of Africa's area year by year, and information panels cover the Berlin Conference of 1884–85, the motives behind the Scramble and African resistance such as the Battle of Adwa in 1896.
Lesson: New Imperialism and the Scramble for Africa (1870–1914)
What it shows
Between 1870 and 1914 European powers took control of almost the whole of Africa. In 1870 they held mainly coasts, Algeria and the Cape; by 1914 only Ethiopia and Liberia were independent. The Berlin Conference of 1884–85 set rules for claiming land, and treaties between the powers drew most borders without African participation. Africans resisted everywhere, from Isandlwana to Adwa and the Maji Maji war. The sim shows the partition year by year with motives, events and resistance; see also the sims on the Industrial Revolution, World War I and decolonisation in Asia and Africa.
How to use
Press Run or drag the Year slider or the timeline. Switch Colour by between Colonial power and Decade of takeover. Click a country or an event dot to read about it; compare the shares in the side panel and chart. Open Motives & Berlin and Resistance for the background.
Parameters you can change
- Starting year on the timeline 1870–1914 year
- Colour the map by Colonial power, Decade of takeover
- Timeline playback speed 1–5 years/s
- Information panel Events, Motives & Berlin, Resistance
- Show labels on the map
Questions to explore
- In which decade was most of Africa partitioned, and which events help explain the speed?
- Which economic, strategic and nationalist motives can you link to specific events on the map?
- Why did Ethiopia remain independent while most African states were conquered?
