Why did Europeans colonize Africa?
The central regions of Africa were not properly explored until the middle of the 1800s. As the continent was explored, it was colonized by European countries seeking territories to exploit and bring them riches. The British, Dutch, French and Portuguese all established colonies near the coast, and later inland. The slave trade had destroyed the structure of many once-powerful African nations, and they were unable to resist the Europeans with their modern weapons. Germany, Belgium and Italy all joined in the scramble to capture new lands in Africa.
Were there great civilizations in Africa?
A whole series of great civilizations existed in Africa, to the south of the Sahara desert. Many of these states traded with the Arabs, and some adopted Islam as their religion.
The Asante were a powerful West African race who became prosperous by slave trading with the Europeans. Another powerful tribe was the Zulus in southern Africa.
What was the Boer War?
The Boer War took place in southern Africa as a result of a complicated political situation. The Boers were settlers of Dutch origin who resented British rule of their region. They migrated north into the area occupied by the Zulus. The British, Dutch and Zulus all fought each other. Eventually, the British troops defeated the Zulus at the battle of Rorke’s Drift in 1879. However the war continued for over 20 years until the Boers were finally defeated by the British in 1902. This defeat led to the foundation of the modern state of South Africa.
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