Question: what were the causes of european exploration of africa in the 19th century

title: European exploration of Africa
text: Africa is named for the Afri people who settled in the area of current - day Tunisia . The Roman province of Africa spanned the Mediterranean coast of what is now Libya , Tunisia and Algeria . The parts of North Africa north of the Sahara were well known in antiquity . Prior to the 2nd century BC , however , Greek geographers were unaware that the land mass then known as Libya expanded south of the Sahara , assuming that the desert bounded on the outer Ocean . Indeed , Alexander the Great , according to Plutarchus ' Lives , considered sailing from the mouths of the Indus back to Macedonia passing south of Africa as a shortcut compared to the land route . Even Eratosthenes around 200 BC still assumed an extent of the landmass no further south than the Horn of Africa .