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What economic, social, and political factors motivated the country to expand their landholdings?In French Equatorial Africa, there were a lot of raw materials and opportunities to grow. In several parts of the area, other countries had started to develop, thus making it easier to grow once conquered. Also there was a significant amount of slave trade and resources that can make a lot of money for France. Also, the French wanted to conquer the region around the Nile river so that when they did fight for it, it would be easier to defend.
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Why were the French so interested in occupying Equatorial Africa, what was there for them?
Resources like timber, rubber, and ivory were in central Africa especially the French Congo. In Chad wasn’t developing and modernizing as fast as other countries so it was mainly a resource of raw cotton and untrained labor to be used in colonies to the south that were more productive. Although the resources in Obnagui-Chari were limited, it helped France’s plan to conquer areas of land from the Atlantic to the Nile. They wanted to do this because they wanted to conquer the Nile and having more land around it would help make that easier to do. Gabon was a center of slave trade which made this part of Africa so useful to the French. Colonies could make a lot of money off of slave trade and having a part of Africa that was so rich with that kind of trade would help make a lot of profit for France. Because the Germans had already developed so much of Cameroon, it was easy to take control and gain revenue This made Cameroon very appealing to Britain and France.