The late 1800s through the early 1900s saw the rapid colonization of Africa by Europeans; this period has been called "the Scramble for Africa". European countries competed for colonies wanting to control them for their vast natural resources and as a market for their goods.
Britain had a far stretching empire in the early 1900s and was by far the greatest imperial power at that time. Some of the regions Britain controlled were India, South Africa, Egypt and other parts of Africa, and several Pacific and Caribbean Islands.
Germany which had become a world super