Africa is a continent comprised of many countries, each with their own unique languages, cultures, and traditions. While early interactions between Europeans and Africans along the coasts were minimal in the 1400s due to fear of malaria, by the late 1800s European powers had colonized much of Africa following conferences like the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 that divided the continent among themselves without African representation. This set the stage for conflicts Africa still faces today.