By 1885, the only two African countries that remained independent were Ethiopia and Liberia.

Direct answer

  • Ethiopia (then often called Abyssinia) maintained its sovereignty through strong central leadership and successful military resistance, most famously later confirmed by its victory over Italy at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.
  • Liberia , founded in the 19th century by formerly enslaved people from the United States, was recognized as an independent republic in 1847 and was not formally colonized during the European “Scramble for Africa.”

Both stood out on the 1880s map of Africa as rare independent states surrounded by rapidly expanding European empires.