Africa and the Making of the Modern World, 1880CE

Use this 1880 map of Africa to help students examine imperialism, colonial expansion, and African political geography before the Before the Berlin Conference (1884–1885) intensified the so-called “Scramble for Africa.” The map shows independent states, European colonial holdings, Ottoman territories, non-state societies, and major port cities across Africa and nearby regions. Teachers can use it to support lessons on empire, trade networks, resistance, and global connections in the modern world. Ask students to compare the locations of colonies and ports, identify areas of African independence, and make claims about how geography shaped political and economic power in the late nineteenth century.