Controlling European countries: Great Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, and Spain
All of the European countries were looking for resources to aid in industrialization. Minerals and raw materials were the most important for these countries to obtain cheaply so they could produce goods that would compete on the global market.
Great Britain held lands on the west-central coast with Nigeria being the largest, Egypt and Sudan, and the southern tip of Africa. France controlled the northern part from the Sahara to the Mediterranean. Germany controlled just three colonial states: Cameroon, and a colony in the east-central and in the southwest portion of Africa. Portugal controlled Mozambique and Angola. Italy had Libya and a couple small colonial states on the horn of Africa. Belgium controlled the central colony of the Congo. Spain had control of a few northwestern coastal colonies.