Scramble for Africa African history Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Scramble-for-Africa Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Scramble-for-Africa Also known as: Partition of Africa Written by Rebecca M. Kulik Rebecca M. Kulik contributes articles on the social sciences and humanities to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Rebecca M. Kulik Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Sep 3, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Also called: Partition of Africa (Show more) Scramble for Africa, a phrase widely used to refer to the period from the late 19th to the early 20th century in which European imperial powers claimed control of most African territory. It is also used to describe the actions undertaken by those countries, with the goals of expanding strategic territorial claims and securing access to valuable natural resources. In the 1870s only 10 percent of African territory was controlled by European countries. By 1914 about 90 percent of that territory had been incorporated into one European empire or another, including the land of every present-day country on the continent ...(100 of 1490 words)

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