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An Unparalleled Look at the Colonial Partitioning of Southern Africa.

Africa South of the Equator Showing existing Boundary Treaties by George Cawston, published by Edward Stanford in London, presents a rich tapestry of geopolitical detail and delineation of international boundaries in late 19th-century Africa. It covers the area of Africa south of the northern Congo Free State and includes an inset of England, offering a comparative scale.

The map carries a wealth of information about international treaties and agreements which shaped the political landscape of Africa during the late 19th century. It meticulously documents the myriad treaties and conventions that carved out spheres of influence for various European powers in Africa, highlighting the geopolitical complexities of the colonial era.

The map also marks significant political regions and entities of the time. For example, it highlights Msiri's Kingdom, a pre-colonial African state in the approximate location of the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo. It refers to regions like Transvaal, Zulu Land, and Basuto Land, which later became part of modern-day South Africa. It mentions the Orange Free State, a 19th-century Boer republic which was later incorporated into the Union of South Africa. Furthermore, the map shows the Cape Colony, a British colonial administration in present-day South Africa.

Several conventions and agreements are specified, many of which date back to the crucial period of 1884-1887, a time marked by intense negotiation and conflict over territorial claims. The Convention F&AIC and Convn P&AIC, presumably referring to France, Portugal, and possibly a colonial company, and their February 1885 agreements, are noted in several instances.

The "Boundary of Free Trade Area General Act of Berlin Conference Art i 26 Feb 1885" refers to the major international agreement from the Berlin Conference, which marked the beginning of the formal colonization of Africa by European powers. The conference aimed to establish a general policy of free trade in central Africa, creating a so-called "Free Trade Area".

References to "British Sphere of Influence" and "German Sphere of Influence" reflect the colonial powers' influence in different regions. For instance, the "British Imperial East Africa Company" and the "German East Africa Co." hint at these colonial entities' control over trade and governance in these areas.

The numerous references to agreements and conventions show a complex web of diplomatic relations between different entities. These treaties were often designed to resolve territorial disputes and establish areas of control and influence.

Overall, this map serves as a remarkable historical document, illustrating the complex geopolitical landscape of Africa during the late 19th century. It gives us a snapshot of a time of extensive colonial intrusion, with various European powers vying for control over different regions of the continent.

Berlin Conference

In 1885, the Berlin Conference was held, where the world powers decided to divide up Africa, and that maintaining colonies was a necessity. Five years later most of Africa is under colonial rule. The only two countries that remain independent throughout this carving up is Ethiopia and Liberia. Liberia is under U.S. protection and Ethiopia was a Christian kingdom so it is deemed civilized by the Europeans. This did not deter the Italians from trying to colonize Ethiopia, which would ultimately lose the colonial war and Ethiopia would remain Independent.

George Cawston

George Cawston was one of the founders of the British South Africa Company. The British South Africa Company was established following the amalgamation of Cecil Rhodes' Central Search Association and the London-based Exploring Company Ltd which had originally competed to exploit the expected mineral wealth of Mashonaland, but united because of common economic interests and to secure British government backing. BSAC was an amalgamation of a London-based group headed by Lord Gifford and George Cawston and backed financially by Baron Nathan de Rothschild, Rhodes, and his South African associates, including Alfred Beit, with the resources of the De Beers Syndicate and Gold Fields of South Africa.

The company received a Royal Charter in 1889 modelled on that of the British East India Company. Its first directors included the Duke of Abercorn, Rhodes himself and the South African financier Alfred Beit. Rhodes hoped BSAC would promote colonization and economic exploitation across much of south-central Africa, as part of the "Scramble for Africa". However, his main focus was south of the Zambezi, in Mashonaland and the coastal areas to its east, from which he believed the Portuguese could be removed by payment or force, and in the Transvaal, which he hoped would return to British control.

Rhodes' ambition was to create a zone of British commercial and political influence from "Cape to Cairo", but this was far beyond the resources of any commercial company to achieve and would not have given investors the financial returns they expected. BSAC was created in the expectation that the gold fields of Mashonaland would provide funds for the development of other areas of Central Africa, including the mineral wealth of Katanga. When the expected wealth of Mashonaland did not materialize, and Katanga was acquired by the Congo Free State, the company had little money left after building railways for significant development, particularly in areas north of the Zambezi. BSAC regarded its lands north of the Zambezi as territory to be held as cheaply as possible for future, rather than immediate, exploitation.

Rarity and Editions

An updated version of the map was published in 1890. Another edition was issued in 1889, as well. We therefore date this map between the last treaty date reference, 1887, and 1888.