The Berlin Conference, also known as the Congo Conference, regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period. Organized by Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of Germany, it saw 14 nations meet to map out the division of the African continent. Crucially, no African representatives were invited. The conference established the principle of 'effective occupation,' meaning powers had to physically possess territories to claim them. This sparked the 'Scramble for Africa,' leading to the rapid partition of the continent. By 1914, 90% of Africa was under European control. The arbitrary borders drawn during the conference ignored existing ethnic and linguistic boundaries, creating internal tensions and conflicts that persist in many African nations today. It remains a stark symbol of European colonial overreach.