This map, created by British cartographer John George Bartholomew and published in 1899 as part of Harry Hamilton Johnston's book A History of the Colonisation of Africa by Foreign Races (A history of the colonisation of Africa by foreign races).

This book was created within the context of the struggle between European colonial powers to divide up Africa. This particular map shows the complexity of accessing different parts of Africa and successfully colonising them. To do this, it uses the following colour code:

• Rosa: A healthy and colonisable Africa, where Europeans can eventually become the predominant race, where essentially European states can be formed.
• YellowAfrica is fairly healthy, but unfavourable conditions such as soil, water supply, or the prior establishment of warlike or enlightened native races, among other causes, may impede European colonisation.
• Light grey: Africa, unhealthy but exploitable. Impossible for European colonisation but largely of significant commercial value and inhabited by fairly docile and governable races. The Africa of the merchant and of despotic European control.
• Dark grey: Africa is extremely unhealthy.

Sources

• Colonizability of Africa
• A history of the colonisation of Africa by alien races (PDF)