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Events on Thursday 26 February 1885 1
1885General Act of the Berlin Conference signedEuropean powers set rules for the partition of AfricaRepresentatives of fourteen European and American powers concluded the Berlin West Africa Conference on 26 February 1885, establishing principles for colonial claims in Africa. The act recognized King Leopold II's personal control over the Congo Free State and formalized the free navigation of the Congo and Niger rivers. It became a foundational document of the "Scramble for Africa."