European exploration of Africa 1840s, so that around the midpoint of the 19th century and the beginning of the colonial Scramble for Africa, the unexplored parts were now limited to what would turn out to be the Congo Basin and the African Great Lakes. This "Heart of Africa" remained one of the last remaining "blank spots" on world maps of the later 19th century (alongside the Arctic, Antarctic and the interior of the Amazon basin). It was left for 19th-century European explorers, including those searching for the famed sources of the Nile, notably John Hanning Speke, Sir Richard Burton, David Livingstone and Henry Morton
George Fleming (explorer) George Fleming (explorer) George Fleming (1800?1880?) was an African-American explorer and trader. A former slave, he accompanied David Livingstone in exploring northern Botswana and central Africa. In 1849, Fleming served as cook on the expedition of Livingstone, William Oswell, Mungo Murray and Hubert Wilson to 'discover' Lake Ngami. In 1851, he travelled to the BaKololo with Livingstone and Oswell. Backed financially by Howson Rutherford, Fleming established himself as a trader in the interior. In 1853, he explored the Zambezi with Livingstone, and after separating from Livingstone may have been the first explorer to visit Victoria Falls. In 1856, he carried