Answer:
Here are some key points about the establishment of political boundaries in Africa by European imperial powers during the 19th century:
1. The boundaries were arbitrarily drawn with little regard for existing African ethnic and political divisions. European powers carved up the continent based on their own strategic interests with no consideration for local cultures and groups.
2. This led to the forcible splitting of many ethnic and tribal groups across different colonial territories. It also combined multiple distinct groups within the same colonial borders.
3. The boundaries separated communities that had historically interacted and intermingled, disrupting longstanding economic, social and political relationships.
4. They were gerrymandered in ways that ensured European powers received the most economically valuable lands and natural resources within their new colonies.
5. The new borders bisected ecosystems and natural geographic units, ignoring environmental realities on the ground.
6. Many of these imposed boundaries endured even after African states gained independence in the post-WWII era. They formed the basis for the modern political map of Africa, despite often dividing peoples and regions arbitrarily.
7. The legacy of these artificial boundaries has contributed to ethnic tensions, civil conflict, economic disparities and issues of national identity within many African countries to this day.
In summary, the establishment of African borders by European imperial powers in the 19th century was an exercise in self-interest with little regard for African realities, histories or identities. The boundaries were designed to facilitate European control and resource extraction, not reflect organic African political entities. Many of the problems they created persist in independent African nations.