In 1885, the Berlin Conference was held. Which continent was being divided among European powers?

The story behind the answer

Africa. The 1884–85 Berlin Conference, hosted by Germany’s Otto von Bismarck, set the rules for European colonization of Africa, launching the “Scramble for Africa.” Fourteen European powers agreed on principles like “effective occupation,” carving borders with little regard for existing African societies—no African leaders were invited.

To remember: think “Berlin draws borders” and “Scramble for Africa.” The conference also recognized King Leopold II’s personal control of the Congo Free State, later infamous for brutal exploitation. While framed as regulating trade and suppressing the slave trade, it primarily legalized European land grabs across Africa, not Asia, South America, or Oceania.