The Age of Discovery, an event begun in the 15th century and lasting until the 18th century, was a period when the Europeans dared to explore further than ever before. Their initial purpose was to enrich themselves through trade. Using reliable ships to sail across vast oceans, they found opportunities beyond all expectations. To protect these newly acquired sources of wealth, they used their military superiority to claim, to hold, and to discourage intrusion from rivals; it was also used to subdue local resistance.
The conquest of Africa began slowly; Portugal attacked and took control of Ceuta, a Muslim settlement in Northern Africa in 1415. By 1884, it became a scramble as the Europeans gathered at the Berlin Conference to divide what remained of Africa. In 1870, almost two decades before the Berlin Conference, a mere 10 percent of Africa was held by the Europeans; by 1914, the figure had increased to 90 percent and left only three independent entities on the African continent: Ethiopia, Liberia, and the undefined and disputed borders of the Dervish State.
