Berlin hosted the 1884–1885 conference that formalized European claims in Africa.
Known as the Berlin Conference, the meeting was organized by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Representatives of European powers and the United States discussed trade, navigation, and rules for claiming African territory during the period often called the Scramble for Africa.
The conference did not divide every African border in a single session, but it established principles that encouraged European expansion. One important rule was effective occupation: a power claiming territory was expected to demonstrate control there and notify other signatories.
No African government was represented as an equal participant. European decisions therefore ignored many existing African political structures, communities, and boundaries. The conference met from November 1884 to February 1885 in Berlin, and its effects contributed to colonial rule and later border disputes across the continent.