Map Of Africa in 1880: 5 Years Before the Scramble – Brilliant Maps

The
map
above
shows
roughly
who
controlled
what
parts
of
Africa
in
1880.

This
is
just
5
years
before
the
Berlin
Conference
in
1885
that
would
launch
the
so-called
“Scramble
for
Africa,”
of
full
European
domination
and
conquest
of
the
continent.

However,
as
you
can
clearly
see
in
the
map
above
European
colonization
was
already
well
underway
at
this
point.

You
can
see
the
comparison
in
the
following
simplified
map:

Returning
to
the
map
at
the
top
of
the
page,

here
is
a
full
list
of
sources
used.

In
terms
of
the
main
powers
they
included
(from
the
map
legend):

European

• France
  (especially
  Algeria
  which
  became
  a
  part
  of
  France
  in
  1848)
• Portugal
  (Portuguese
  East
  &
  West
  Africa)
• United
  Kingdom
  (Cape
  Colony)

African

Here’s
a
bit
more
about
the
African
states
that
existed.

West
Africa:

1. 
   Sokoto
   Caliphate
   (1804–1903)
   • Largest
     state
     in
     West
     Africa,
     centered
     in
     modern-day
     northern
     Nigeria.
   • Powerful
     Islamic
     empire
     founded
     by
     Usman
     dan
     Fodio.
2. 
   
   Ashanti
   Empire
   (circa
   1701–1901)
   • Located
     in
     modern-day
     Ghana,
     known
     for
     wealth,
     sophisticated
     governance,
     military
     power,
     and
     gold
     trade.
3. 
   
   Kingdom
   of
   Dahomey
   (circa
   1600–1894)
   • Located
     in
     present-day
     Benin,
     renowned
     for
     military
     strength,
     particularly
     the
     Dahomey
     Amazons
     (women
     warriors),
     as
     well
     as
     participation
     in
     the
     slave
     trade.
4. 
   
   Empire
   of
   Wassoulou
   (1878–1898)
   • Founded
     by
     Samori
     Touré
     in
     what
     is
     now
     Guinea
     and
     Mali,
     noted
     for
     fierce
     resistance
     to
     French
     colonial
     expansion.

East
Africa:

1. 
   Ethiopian
   Empire
   (Abyssinia)
   • Ancient
     empire,
     notably
     independent
     and
     politically
     strong,
     successfully
     resisting
     European
     colonization
     under
     Emperor
     Menelik
     II,
     later
     famously
     defeating
     Italy
     at
     Adwa
     in
     1896.
2. 
   Sultanate
   of
   Zanzibar
   (1856–1964)
   • Wealthy
     state
     controlling
     trade
     across
     East
     Africa,
     particularly
     in
     spices,
     ivory,
     and
     slaves.
     Zanzibar
     was
     an
     influential
     trade
     hub
     along
     the
     Indian
     Ocean
     coast.
3. 
   
   Buganda
   Kingdom
   (established
   14th
   century)
   • Powerful
     kingdom
     located
     within
     modern
     Uganda;
     a
     center
     of
     political
     and
     economic
     influence
     in
     East
     Africa
     during
     the
     19th
     century.

Southern
and
Central
Africa:

1. 
   
   Zulu
   Kingdom
   (1816–1897)
   • Dominant
     military
     kingdom
     in
     Southern
     Africa,
     founded
     by
     Shaka
     Zulu,
     later
     resisting
     British
     colonization
     notably
     during
     the
     Anglo-Zulu
     War
     (1879).
2. 
   Kingdom
   of
   Matabeleland
   (Ndebele
   Kingdom,
   1837–1894)
   • Powerful
     southern
     African
     state,
     located
     in
     present-day
     Zimbabwe,
     known
     for
     military
     prowess
     under
     leaders
     such
     as
     Mzilikazi
     and
     Lobengula.
3. 
   
   Merina
   Kingdom
   (Madagascar,
   1540–1897)
   • Centralized
     and
     relatively
     advanced
     kingdom
     that
     unified
     much
     of
     Madagascar,
     later
     confronting
     French
     colonial
     ambitions.

North
Africa:

1. 
   Egypt
   (Muhammad
   Ali
   Dynasty,
   Ottoman
   vassal
   1805–1882,
   British
   occupation
   post-1882)
   • Semi-independent
     state,
     strategically
     important
     due
     to
     the
     Suez
     Canal
     (opened
     in
     1869),
     undergoing
     modernization
     under
     Muhammad
     Ali
     and
     his
     successors.
2. 
   
   Mahdist
   State
   (1881–1898)
   • Emerged
     the
     year
     after
     this
     map
     in
     Sudan
     with
     the
     rise
     of
     Muhammad
     Ahmad
     al-Mahdi,
     challenging
     Egyptian-British
     dominance,
     eventually
     captured
     Khartoum
     (1885).
3. 
   
   Morocco
   (Alaouite
   Dynasty)
   • Independent
     Sultanate
     managing
     its
     autonomy
     despite
     increasing
     European
     pressure,
     finally
     becoming
     a
     French
     protectorate
     in
     1912.

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Author: Brilliant Maps