Which 1884–1885 meeting set rules for European claims over Africa during the colonial era?

The 1884–1885 meeting that set rules for European claims over Africa during the colonial era was the Berlin Conference.

The Berlin Conference was held in Berlin from November 1884 to February 1885 under the chairmanship of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Representatives of European powers, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire discussed trade, navigation, and territorial claims in Africa.

The conference did not literally divide every part of Africa among the participating powers, but its General Act established principles for claiming territory. One important rule required a power to demonstrate effective occupation and notify other signatories of new claims.

African rulers and societies were not represented as equal parties in the negotiations. The conference accelerated the later “Scramble for Africa,” during which European powers expanded colonial control across the continent. Its decisions had long-lasting political and economic consequences.