Why did Germany colonize the Atlantic coast and the Indian Ocean of Africa?

Answer 1

Towards the end of the 19th Century the world was pretty much carved up by the, then Super Powers, France and Britain. Other countries had little footholds; the Netherlands had the Dutch East Indies etc., but the bulk was between those powers. Russia also had an enormous empire, but tended to keep it all together as she had neither the infrastructure nor the lines of communication to keep a far-flung empire together. Britain, with its all-powerfull Royal Navy, was best placed and, hence had the largest and best properties on the world 'Monopoly' board. Germany was still a relatively new country and was anxious to enter the world stage, but the only un-claimed area was Africa. The white man had been excluded from the continent, except for a few miles from the coast, by the threat of Malaria. When Britain discovered a cure for the desease she immediately struck out to claim as much of the African hinterland as she could. The secret of Malaria prevention couldn't be kept quiet for long and soon the 'Scramble for Africa' began in the 1890's. Britain moved North from it's established base in South Africa, and set up new colonies on the East coast (Kenya) and also expanded from it's protectorates in the North (Egypt etc.), and it's long established trading posts on the West coast (Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, now Ghana etc.). Portugal moved inland from it's trading bases East to create Angola and West, Mocambique, while France moved down from Algeria southwards to create Chad, French Equitorial Africa etc. Belgium was not to be left out and penetrated the very centre of the continent to form the Belgian Congo. Germany, lacking a navy of any size and not having any prior stakes was left to pick what remained and set up German South West Africa (Namibia) and in the East, Uganda and Tanganika (Tanzania), none of which was concidered by the other powers of much value. Germany lost all it's African colonies to Britain after World War I.