Final answer:
African resistance to European colonization was initially successful due to factors such as geography and disease, which impeded European exploration and settlement. However, technological and medical advancements eventually gave Europeans the upper hand, leading to the division and exploitation of Africa by the end of the 19th century.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before the mid-19th century, Africans were able to resist European colonization efforts due, in large part, to the continent's challenging geography which included few harbors for ships and unnavigable rivers, and crucially, widespread diseases such as malaria to which Europeans had little immunity. This situation changed later on as advances in medicine and technology, such as antimalarial drugs and steamships, allowed Europeans to survive and effectively navigate within Africa. Despite brave resistance from African societies, the overwhelming military power and strategic persistence of European powers ultimately led to European domination and exploitation of the continent's resources.
In the end, the balance of power tipped in favor of European colonizers who managed to diversify control over African territories following the Berlin Conference in 1884. Africa's division and the extraction of its wealth by Europeans came despite fierce local resistance and a strong desire by African societies to maintain sovereignty and control over their own resources.