Africa has 54 countries today. Almost every single one of them was colonised by a European power at some point in history — and many were colonised by more than one. From the Portuguese arriving on the Gold Coast in 1471, all the way to Namibia gaining independence in 1990, the story of colonisation in Africa is long, layered, and complicated.
A common mistake in simple guides is to list only the final coloniser for each country. But that is not the full story. Ghana, for example, was colonised by Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Brandenburg-Prussia, and then Britain — in that order. Nigeria had Portuguese traders first, then the British took full control. Tanzania had the Portuguese, then the Omanis, then the Germans, then the British.
This article corrects that. Below, you will find a full, accurate table listing every African country, every coloniser that controlled it, the years of colonial rule, and when independence was gained.
Background: The Scramble for Africa
European involvement in Africa started before the famous 1884 Berlin Conference. Portugal was on the African coast as early as 1415. The Dutch, British, Danish, Swedish and other powers followed in the 1600s, mainly for gold, ivory and the slave trade.
In 1884, European leaders met in Berlin — with no Africans present — and divided the continent among themselves. This is what historians call the “Scramble for Africa.” By 1914, European powers controlled almost all of Africa. Only Ethiopia and Liberia were not formally colonised.
The main colonising powers were:
🇬🇧 United Kingdom — colonised the most African countries
🇫🇷 France — dominated West and Central Africa
🇵🇹 Portugal — the first European power in Africa; present from 1415
🇩🇪 Germany — colonised parts of Africa until defeated in WWI
🇧🇪 Belgium — colonised Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi
🇮🇹 Italy — colonised parts of East and North Africa
🇪🇸 Spain — colonised areas in North and Central Africa
🇳🇱 Netherlands — colonised South Africa’s Cape and the Gold Coast
🇩🇰 Denmark — held forts along the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana)
🇴🇲 Oman — controlled the East African coast for over 150 years
Note: The Ottoman Empire (modern Turkey) also had a major presence in North and East Africa and is included in the table where relevant.
All 54 African Countries: Full Colonisation History
Countries are grouped by region. Where multiple colonisers are listed, they appear in historical order. The Colonial Period column shows the full span of foreign control.
| Country | Colonised? | Coloniser(s) | Colonial Period | Independence |
| 🌍 NORTH AFRICA | ||||
| Algeria | Yes | Ottoman Empire (1516–1830), France (1830–1962) | 1516–1962 | 1962 |
| Egypt | Yes | Ottoman Empire (1517–1882), France (1798–1801), United Kingdom (1882–1952) | 1517–1952 | 1952 (republic 1953) |
| Libya | Yes | Ottoman Empire (1551–1911), Italy (1911–1943), UK & France (1943–1951) | 1551–1951 | 1951 |
| Morocco | Yes | Portugal (coastal forts, 1415–1769), France & Spain (1912–1956) | 1415–1956 | 1956 |
| Sudan | Yes | Egypt (Turco-Egyptian, 1821–1885), UK & Egypt jointly (1899–1956) | 1821–1956 | 1956 |
| Tunisia | Yes | Ottoman Empire (1574–1881), France (1881–1956) | 1574–1956 | 1956 |
| 🌍 WEST AFRICA | ||||
| Benin (Dahomey) | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1472–1700s), France (1894–1960) | 1894–1960 | 1960 |
| Burkina Faso | Yes | France (1896–1960) | 1896–1960 | 1960 |
| Cape Verde | Yes | Portugal (1462–1975) | 1462–1975 | 1975 |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1460s), France (1893–1960) | 1893–1960 | 1960 |
| Gambia | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1455), UK (1816–1965) | 1816–1965 | 1965 |
| Ghana (Gold Coast) | Yes | Portugal (1471–1642), Netherlands (1612–1872), Sweden (1650–1663), Denmark (1663–1850), Brandenburg-Prussia (1682–1720), UK (1821–1957) | 1471–1957 | 1957 |
| Guinea | Yes | Portugal (trade forts, 1446–1880s), France (1898–1958) | 1898–1958 | 1958 |
| Guinea-Bissau | Yes | Portugal (1879–1974) | 1446–1974 | 1974 |
| Liberia | No | Never formally colonised (American Colonisation Society founded it) | — | Independent 1847 |
| Mali | Yes | France (1890–1960) | 1890–1960 | 1960 |
| Mauritania | Yes | France (1902–1960) | 1902–1960 | 1960 |
| Niger | Yes | France (1900–1960) | 1900–1960 | 1960 |
| Nigeria | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1472–1700s), UK (1861–1960) | 1861–1960 | 1960 |
| São Tomé & Príncipe | Yes | Portugal (1470–1975) | 1470–1975 | 1975 |
| Senegal | Yes | Portugal (1444–1677), Netherlands (briefly, 1600s), France (1677–1960) | 1444–1960 | 1960 |
| Sierra Leone | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1460s), UK (1808–1961) | 1808–1961 | 1961 |
| Togo | Yes | Germany (1884–1914), France & UK (1914–1960) | 1884–1960 | 1960 |
| 🌍 EAST AFRICA | ||||
| Burundi | Yes | Germany (1890–1916), Belgium (1916–1962) | 1890–1962 | 1962 |
| Comoros | Yes | France (1841–1975) | 1841–1975 | 1975 |
| Djibouti | Yes | France (1862–1977) | 1862–1977 | 1977 |
| Eritrea | Yes | Ottoman Empire (1557–1865), Egypt (1865–1885), Italy (1890–1941), UK (1941–1952), Ethiopia (1952–1993) | 1557–1993 | 1993 |
| Ethiopia | No* | Italy (occupation only, 1936–1941) | 1936–1941 | Restored 1941 — never formally colonised |
| Kenya | Yes | Portugal (coastal, 1498–1729), Oman (1729–1895), UK (1895–1963) | 1498–1963 | 1963 |
| Madagascar | Yes | France (1896–1960) | 1896–1960 | 1960 |
| Malawi | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1500s), UK (1891–1964) | 1891–1964 | 1964 |
| Mauritius | Yes | Netherlands (1638–1710), France (1715–1810), UK (1810–1968) | 1638–1968 | 1968 |
| Mozambique | Yes | Portugal (1498–1975) | 1498–1975 | 1975 |
| Rwanda | Yes | Germany (1890–1916), Belgium (1916–1962) | 1890–1962 | 1962 |
| Seychelles | Yes | France (1742–1810), UK (1810–1976) | 1742–1976 | 1976 |
| Somalia | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1499), Italy (1889–1941, 1950–1960), UK (1884–1960) | 1884–1960 | 1960 |
| South Sudan | Yes | UK & Egypt jointly via Sudan (1899–1956), Sudan (1956–2011) | 1899–2011 | 2011 (from Sudan) |
| Tanzania | Yes | Portugal (coastal, 1498–1698), Oman (1698–1856), Germany (1885–1916), UK (1916–1961/63) | 1498–1963 | 1961 (Tanganyika), 1963 (Zanzibar), united 1964 |
| Uganda | Yes | UK (1894–1962) | 1894–1962 | 1962 |
| Zambia | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1500s), UK (1891–1964) | 1891–1964 | 1964 |
| Zimbabwe | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1500s), UK/BSAC (1888–1923), UK directly (1923–1980) | 1888–1980 | 1980 |
| 🌍 CENTRAL AFRICA | ||||
| Angola | Yes | Portugal (1575–1975) | 1575–1975 | 1975 |
| Cameroon | Yes | Germany (1884–1916), France (4/5 territory, 1916–1960), UK (1/5 territory, 1916–1961) | 1884–1961 | 1960 (French part), 1961 (British part) |
| Central African Rep. | Yes | France (1894–1960) | 1894–1960 | 1960 |
| Chad | Yes | France (1900–1960) | 1900–1960 | 1960 |
| DR Congo | Yes | Belgium — King Leopold II personally (1885–1908), Belgian state (1908–1960) | 1885–1960 | 1960 |
| Equatorial Guinea | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1470s), Spain (1778–1968) | 1778–1968 | 1968 |
| Gabon | Yes | Portugal (trade, 1470s), France (1839–1960) | 1839–1960 | 1960 |
| Republic of Congo | Yes | France (1880–1960) | 1880–1960 | 1960 |
| 🌍 SOUTHERN AFRICA | ||||
| Botswana | Yes | UK (1885–1966) | 1885–1966 | 1966 |
| Eswatini (Swaziland) | Yes | South African Republic (1894–1903), UK (1903–1968) | 1894–1968 | 1968 |
| Lesotho | Yes | UK (1868–1966) | 1868–1966 | 1966 |
| Namibia | Yes | Germany (1884–1915), South Africa mandate (1915–1990) | 1884–1990 | 1990 |
| South Africa | Yes | Netherlands/Dutch VOC (Cape Colony, 1652–1795 & 1803–1806), UK (1806–1910; Union of South Africa 1910–1961) | 1652–1961 | Union 1910; republic 1961; full democracy 1994 |
Important Notes on the Table
1. Ghana is one of the most colonised countries in Africa by the number of colonisers — at least six European powers had a presence there before Britain declared it a Crown Colony in 1874.
2. Ethiopia is the only African country that successfully defeated a European colonial army (Italy, at the Battle of Adwa in 1896). Italy did briefly occupy it from 1936 to 1941, but Ethiopia was never a formal colony.
3. Liberia was never colonised by a European government. It was established by the American Colonisation Society and became an independent republic in 1847.
4. Tanzania’s Zanzibar island was controlled by Omani Arabs from 1698 — a reminder that colonisation was not only done by Europeans. Oman also dominated Kenya’s coast for over 150 years.
5. DR Congo was first run as the personal property of Belgian King Leopold II (not even the Belgian government), under whose brutal rule millions of Congolese died. The Belgian state took it over in 1908.
6. Eritrea may hold the record for the most different colonial powers over the longest period — from Ottoman rule (1557) all the way to independence from Ethiopia (1993), spanning 436 years.
7. South Sudan only became an independent country in 2011, making it the youngest nation in Africa.
8. Morocco had Spain controlling part of its territory even after France recognised Moroccan independence in 1956. The last Spanish zone was handed back in 1969.
Why This History Still Matters Today
Colonisation did not end the day African countries raised their flags. The effects are still with us. The borders that Europeans drew in 1884 — without caring about ethnic groups, languages, or kingdoms — are still the borders of today’s African countries. That is why some countries contain hundreds of different ethnic groups with no natural reason to be in the same nation, and why others have ethnic kin split across two or three different countries.
The languages we speak in government and school — English, French, Portuguese, Spanish — are not our original languages. They are the languages of colonisers. The economic systems, legal structures, and even road layouts of many African cities were designed by colonisers to serve their own interests, not ours.
Understanding this history is not about blaming the past forever. It is about having the full picture — so that Africans today can make informed decisions about the future. You cannot build on land if you do not know what is buried beneath it.
Final Word
Of Africa’s 54 countries, 52 were colonised — and many by more than one foreign power. Only Ethiopia and Liberia escaped formal colonial rule. Most African nations gained independence in the 1960s. The last was South Sudan in 2011.
Africa was colonised — but it was never conquered in spirit. That spirit is what drove every independence movement, every uprising, and every flag raised in freedom.
Written for TrenderHQ | trenderhq.com
Africa’s stories, told simply and honestly.
Disclaimer
The information in this article has been carefully researched and is intended to give readers a clear and accessible overview of Africa’s colonial history. However, colonial history is a broad and complex subject, and some details — particularly around dates, territorial boundaries, and the classification of certain foreign presences as “colonisation” — may be interpreted differently depending on the source.
We encourage readers to cross-check this information with academic sources, history textbooks, and reputable institutions before using it for official, academic, or professional purposes.
If you notice any errors, missing details, or information that needs updating, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to us via our contact us page or leave a comment below. We are committed to keeping our content as accurate and honest as possible, and we appreciate every reader who helps us do that.
