The New Childrens Encyclopedia

204

The age of empire

Since the 1600s, European countries had steadily gained land and

influence over countries around the world. From the mid-1800s,

they competed against each other to control new trade markets,

increasing the size of their empires and becoming wealthy.

North America

Many people from

Europe immigrated

to the United States

or Canada to escape

bad conditions at

home, such as the potato

famine in Ireland. The

arrival of these new settlers

led to the exploration of

remote inland areas and

a route across the whole

continent.

Africa

The “scramble for Africa” began in the

1870s, when European countries

competed against each other to gain

control of land on this continent. Explorers

had found raw materials such as gold and

diamonds, and there was land and people

available for setting up plantations.

South

America

Coffee

Cocoa

Sugar

cane

 SOUTH AMERICA

During the 1800s, many

of the countries in South

America became

independent. Only the

British, French, and

Dutch had colonies with

big plantations.

 SOUTH AFRICA The

discovery of diamonds in

the mid-1800s transformed

a poor colony into a much

desired one and sparked

conflicts in the area.

Africa

Europe

 RAILROADS

A vast network of tracks

were laid across countries

and continents for the

transporting of goods

by rail.

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS

European countries imported raw materials

from their empires and exported manufactured

goods back to their colonies.

Gold

In 1805, Meriwether Lewis and William

Clark were the first American explorers

to find a route through the Rocky

Mountains to reach the western

territories of America. Other explorers,

traders, and settlers followed afterward.

TELL ME MORE...

 BOER WAR In 1899,

war in the south of Africa

broke out between the Dutch

settlers, known as Boers, and

the British, seeking control of

the mineral-rich land.

United States

HISTORY AND POLITICS

North

America