World History A 4.2.10 Practice:
Mapping Imperial Expansion 2026/2027
Instructor: ________________________________ Date: ________________
Student Name: _____________________________ Period: ______________
Instructions
This assignment assesses your mastery of the geographic dimensions of nineteenth-century
imperial expansion. You will identify territories on blank maps, analyze imperial strategies, and
explain the geopolitical logic of specific imperial infrastructure projects.
Total Questions: 15 | Point Value: 100 points
DOMAIN 1: The Scramble for Africa & The Berlin Conference (5 Questions)
Question 1 — Map Identification (Short-Answer)
[10 points]
Examine the blank map of Africa below. Two nations on the continent successfully maintained
their sovereignty throughout the Scramble for Africa and were never colonized by a European
power.
(a) Identify and label Nation A, the African kingdom that defeated the Italian army at the Battle
of Adwa in 1896, thereby securing its independence and becoming a symbol of African
resistance to European colonization.
(b) Identify and label Nation B, the West African republic founded in 1822 as a settlement
project of the American Colonization Society (ACS), which declared its independence in 1847
and maintained sovereignty during the Berlin Conference era.
Write your answers below the map labels.
Answer:
(a) Nation A: Ethiopia [CORRECT]
, (b) Nation B: Liberia [CORRECT]
Rationale: [CORRECT] Ethiopia maintained its independence by successfully defeating the Italian
colonial invasion at the Battle of Adwa on March 1, 1896. Under Emperor Menelik II, Ethiopian
forces routed the Italian army, forcing Italy to recognize Ethiopian sovereignty in the Treaty of
Addis Ababa. This victory made Ethiopia one of only two African nations to avoid colonization
during the Scramble for Africa. Liberia, founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society as
a settlement for formerly enslaved African Americans, declared independence in 1847. During
the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, European powers recognized Liberian sovereignty, partly
due to American diplomatic protection and partly because Liberia had already established itself
as an independent republic with a functioning government. The American Colonization Society,
founded in 1816 by white Americans including Henry Clay and Francis Scott Key, gradually
transferred governmental authority to Liberian settlers, creating a unique case of an African
state born from American abolitionist and colonizationist movements.
Question 2 — Map Analysis (Short-Answer)
[10 points]
On the blank map of Africa, Cecil Rhodes and British imperial planners envisioned a contiguous
British colonial corridor stretching from the southern tip of Africa to the Mediterranean Sea.
(a) Draw and label the approximate route of the proposed "Cape-to-Cairo" corridor on the
map, identifying its northern and southern termini.
(b) Identify the specific German colonial territory that physically blocked the completion of this
contiguous British corridor, preventing British territories from connecting across the African
continent.
Answer:
(a) The Cape-to-Cairo corridor ran from Cape Colony/Cape Town (south) to Cairo, Egypt (north).
(b) The blocking territory: German East Africa [CORRECT]
Rationale: [CORRECT] The "Cape-to-Cairo" dream was the signature imperial vision of Cecil
Rhodes, who sought to create an unbroken chain of British-controlled territories from South
Africa to Egypt. The corridor would have connected the British Cape Colony and later the Union
of South Africa in the south with British-occupied Egypt in the north. However, this vision was
permanently obstructed by German East Africa (present-day Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi),
which Germany had claimed at the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885. German East Africa lay
directly between British East Africa (Kenya) and British Central Africa, creating a geographic
Mapping Imperial Expansion 2026/2027
Instructor: ________________________________ Date: ________________
Student Name: _____________________________ Period: ______________
Instructions
This assignment assesses your mastery of the geographic dimensions of nineteenth-century
imperial expansion. You will identify territories on blank maps, analyze imperial strategies, and
explain the geopolitical logic of specific imperial infrastructure projects.
Total Questions: 15 | Point Value: 100 points
DOMAIN 1: The Scramble for Africa & The Berlin Conference (5 Questions)
Question 1 — Map Identification (Short-Answer)
[10 points]
Examine the blank map of Africa below. Two nations on the continent successfully maintained
their sovereignty throughout the Scramble for Africa and were never colonized by a European
power.
(a) Identify and label Nation A, the African kingdom that defeated the Italian army at the Battle
of Adwa in 1896, thereby securing its independence and becoming a symbol of African
resistance to European colonization.
(b) Identify and label Nation B, the West African republic founded in 1822 as a settlement
project of the American Colonization Society (ACS), which declared its independence in 1847
and maintained sovereignty during the Berlin Conference era.
Write your answers below the map labels.
Answer:
(a) Nation A: Ethiopia [CORRECT]
, (b) Nation B: Liberia [CORRECT]
Rationale: [CORRECT] Ethiopia maintained its independence by successfully defeating the Italian
colonial invasion at the Battle of Adwa on March 1, 1896. Under Emperor Menelik II, Ethiopian
forces routed the Italian army, forcing Italy to recognize Ethiopian sovereignty in the Treaty of
Addis Ababa. This victory made Ethiopia one of only two African nations to avoid colonization
during the Scramble for Africa. Liberia, founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society as
a settlement for formerly enslaved African Americans, declared independence in 1847. During
the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, European powers recognized Liberian sovereignty, partly
due to American diplomatic protection and partly because Liberia had already established itself
as an independent republic with a functioning government. The American Colonization Society,
founded in 1816 by white Americans including Henry Clay and Francis Scott Key, gradually
transferred governmental authority to Liberian settlers, creating a unique case of an African
state born from American abolitionist and colonizationist movements.
Question 2 — Map Analysis (Short-Answer)
[10 points]
On the blank map of Africa, Cecil Rhodes and British imperial planners envisioned a contiguous
British colonial corridor stretching from the southern tip of Africa to the Mediterranean Sea.
(a) Draw and label the approximate route of the proposed "Cape-to-Cairo" corridor on the
map, identifying its northern and southern termini.
(b) Identify the specific German colonial territory that physically blocked the completion of this
contiguous British corridor, preventing British territories from connecting across the African
continent.
Answer:
(a) The Cape-to-Cairo corridor ran from Cape Colony/Cape Town (south) to Cairo, Egypt (north).
(b) The blocking territory: German East Africa [CORRECT]
Rationale: [CORRECT] The "Cape-to-Cairo" dream was the signature imperial vision of Cecil
Rhodes, who sought to create an unbroken chain of British-controlled territories from South
Africa to Egypt. The corridor would have connected the British Cape Colony and later the Union
of South Africa in the south with British-occupied Egypt in the north. However, this vision was
permanently obstructed by German East Africa (present-day Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi),
which Germany had claimed at the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885. German East Africa lay
directly between British East Africa (Kenya) and British Central Africa, creating a geographic
