Editing 1840s (section)

=== Africa ===
* [[December 7]], [[1840]] – [[David Livingstone]] leaves Britain for Africa.
* [[August 10]], [[1845]] – The French Consul in [[Zanzibar]] (M. Broquant) receives the final letter sent by [[Eugène Maizan]] during his expedition into tropical Africa.<ref name="Giraud">{{cite book|language=fr|first=Victor|last=Giraud|title=Les lacs de l'Afrique Équatoriale : voyage d'exploration exécuté de 1883 à 1885|location=[[Paris]]|publisher=[[Hachette (publisher)|Librairie Hachette et Cie]]|year=1890|url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1048705/f36.image|page=31}}</ref>
* [[December 20]], [[1848]] – [[Slavery]] is abolished on the island of [[Réunion]].

==== Algeria ====
* [[December 21]], [[1847]] – [[Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri|Abd al-Kader]] surrenders and is imprisoned by the French.

==== Ethiopia ====
* [[February 7]], [[1842]] – [[Battle of Debre Tabor]]: Ras [[Ali II of Yejju|Ali Alula]], Regent of the [[Emperor of Ethiopia]], defeats warlord Wube Haile Maryam of [[Semien province|Semien]].

==== South Africa ====
* [[June 4]], [[1842]] – In [[South Africa]], hunter [[Richard Philip King|Dick King]] rides into a British military base in [[Grahamstown]] to warn that the [[Boer]]s have besieged [[Durban]] (he had left 11 days earlier). The British army dispatches a relief force.
* [[December 13]], [[1843]] – [[Basutoland]] becomes a British protectorate.<ref name=CBH_266>{{cite book|last1=Palmer|first1=Alan|last2=Palmer|first2=Veronica|year=1992|title=The Chronology of British History|publisher=Century Ltd|location=London|pages=266–267|isbn=978-0-7126-5616-0}}</ref>

==== Morocco ====
[[File:Vernet - Bataille d'Isly - 1846.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Battle of Isly]] during the [[Franco-Moroccan War]]]]
* [[August 14]], [[1844]] – [[Abdelkader El Djezairi]] is defeated at Isly in [[Morocco]]; the [[sultan]] of [[Morocco]] soon repudiates his ally.

==== Liberia ====
* [[July 26]], [[1847]] – [[Liberia]] gains independence.
* [[January 3]], [[1848]] – [[Joseph Jenkins Roberts]] is sworn in as the first [[President of Liberia|president]] of the independent African [[Republic of Liberia]].