Which conference in 1884–1885 set rules for European colonization in Africa?

The Berlin Conference set rules for European colonization in Africa in 1884–1885.

Also called the Congo Conference or West Africa Conference, it was hosted in Berlin by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Representatives of European powers and the United States met from November 1884 to February 1885 to establish principles for trade, navigation, and territorial claims in Africa.

The conference adopted the principle of “effective occupation,” meaning a European power had to demonstrate actual authority in a claimed area rather than merely announce a claim. It also recognized the Congo Free State under the personal control of King Leopold II of Belgium.

African states were not represented as equal participants, and the conference did not draw every later colonial boundary directly. However, its decisions accelerated the Scramble for Africa and provided a diplomatic framework for European expansion. The Berlin Conference is therefore associated with colonization, although it did not itself divide the entire continent with a single map.