Question

Why did the partition of Africa create artificial boundaries?

Europeans ignored traditional boundaries when they carved out their colonies.
Europeans agreed that their colonies all had to be roughly the same size.
Europeans agreed that their colonies all had to have roughly the same number of people.
Europeans made sure not to include harsh terrain, such as deserts, in their colonies.

Answer 1

"Europeans ignored traditional boundaries when they carved out their colonies."

They drew borders to suit imperial rivalries, resources and geography (often straight lines on maps after the Berlin Conference), not the existing ethnic, linguistic or political divisions, producing artificial boundaries.