Question

How were most of the political boundaries of Africa created?

Answer 1

Hint:Africa had begun to experience the collapse of European regimes from the 1950s. Occupied states began transitioning to independent nations. The departing Europeans didn’t allow a smooth transition as many boundaries were based on pre-existing borders and the newly created ones served the interests of colonialism before vacating lands.

Complete answer:
Africa is the second most populous continent in the world. It has 54 sovereign states (or countries) in addition to the territory of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. They are the members of the African Union, a federation of African nations established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2001).
Africa’s modern political boundaries can be considered arbitrary. They were initially created by the European powers for their benefits of exploitation of resources. They didn’t represent the cultural or ethnic groups of Africa.

When the regimes began to collapse after World War 2, the sub Saharan African leaders chose to respect the boundaries set by the colonial regime to avoid a disruptive conflict among themselves.
Prior to that, in 1885, in the Berlin Conference, European leaders divided African borders which still exist today with the exception of Ethiopia and Liberia. It completely ignored African laws, culture, sovereignty and institutions. Hence, many conflicts in Africa are still blamed upon this conference.

Note:The respect for the boundaries set by the former colonizers displayed by the leaders of countries in Africa which are becoming increasingly democratic has led to many conflicts and separatist movements. People don’t find themselves to fit into these boundaries as they were made without considering those living there. For example, Nigeria and Cameroon had a border dispute in 2002. They didn’t settle it via cultural claims but through colonial papers and proofs in the International Court of Justice.