The African country that was not colonised is ______?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which African country was never colonised. Note that "not colonised" is the usual way of saying a country kept its independence through the European "Scramble for Africa" (late 1800s).

Step 2: Review the concept By 1914, almost all of Africa was under European control. Only two countries are traditionally recognised as having escaped colonial rule:

• Ethiopia (Abyssinia): defeated Italy at the Battle of Adwa (1896) under Emperor Menelik II. Italy did occupy it briefly (1936-1941), but this was a short occupation and not a colonisation in the traditional sense.
• Liberia: founded by freed African-American slaves and independent from 1847.

Step 3: Check each option

• A. Sudana: This appears to be a misspelling of Sudan. Sudan was ruled as the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (British and Egyptian control), so it was colonised.
• B. Botswana: It was the Bechuanaland Protectorate under Britain until independence in 1966, so it was colonised.
• C. Gambia: It was a British colony and protectorate until 1965, so it was colonised.
• D. Ethiopia: It resisted colonisation and stayed independent, so it was not colonised.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is D. Ethiopia.

Exam tip: Remember the two "never colonised" countries with "E-L": Ethiopia and Liberia. Link Ethiopia with the Battle of Adwa (1896) and Emperor Menelik II, as JAMB often asks about this.