WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -New borders were drawn through the territories of every tenth ethnic group. Trade routes were cut, because commerce with people outside one’s colony was forbidden. Studies have shown that societies through which new frontiers were driven would later be far more likely to suffer from civil war or poverty.

Detailed explanation-2: -Most of today’s international boundaries within Africa derive from the Berlin Conference of 1884-5, when the colonial powers divided the region between themselves in order to provide a framework for their own political administrations and for the regulation of trade.

Detailed explanation-3: -During this period, European colonizers partitioned Africa into spheres of influence, colonies, and various segments. They partitioned land from European capitals, with limited knowledge of the geography, history, and ethnic composition of Africa.

Detailed explanation-4: -In order to gain power, Europeans encouraged Africans to fight against each other. New political boundaries caused ethnic groups to clash. This has led to ethnic and political unrest in Africa today. There have been over 50 ethnic conflicts in Africa since WWII as a result of the colonial lines drawn by Europeans.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Europeans set boundaries by geography-or sometimes merely by drawing a straight line on a map. Natural features, particularly rivers and lakes, often became the borders of European colonies.