Sun Feb 23 09:46:30 UTC 2025: ## Africa’s Arbitrary Borders: A Legacy of the Berlin Conference

**Nairobi, Kenya** – Al Jazeera’s latest visual explainer reveals the fascinating and often arbitrary history behind Africa’s borders, a legacy of the 1884-85 Berlin Conference. The conference, where European powers carved up the continent without African representation, resulted in the continent’s unique and often illogical borders.

The explainer highlights several striking examples. The unclaimed Bir Tawil region, a 2,000 sq km area between Egypt and Sudan, exists due to conflicting interpretations of border agreements from 1899 and 1902. Neither country wants to claim it without also relinquishing their claim to the resource-rich Hala’ib Triangle.

The Gambia’s slender shape, almost entirely surrounded by Senegal, is another example. Its borders, established in 1889, were largely determined by the navigable extent of the Gambia River and British colonial interests, possibly even influenced by cannon fire from British ships, though evidence is lacking. Local rulers’ resistance to these arbitrary divisions is also noted.

Cabinda, Angola’s northern province, separated from the rest of the country by a sliver of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a result of decisions made during the Berlin Conference and solidified post-independence, despite a continued independence movement. Its rich oil reserves played a significant role in its annexation to Angola.

Namibia’s Caprivi Strip, a narrow panhandle extending towards the Zambezi River, was a German attempt to create a direct trade route to East Africa. The plan’s failure, however, was largely due to the unforeseen obstacle of Victoria Falls, rendering the strip’s intended purpose impractical.

Lesotho’s complete encirclement by South Africa highlights the Basotho people’s strategic use of mountainous terrain for defense against Boer settlers and their eventual British protection that prevented integration into the Union of South Africa.

Finally, the explainer touches upon the multiple “Guineas” across Africa and the naming of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo, emphasizing the impact of colonial naming conventions on the continent’s geographical nomenclature. The piece underscores how the current map of Africa is less a reflection of natural geography or historical boundaries and more a testament to the legacy of European colonialism.

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