The British Empire

The British Empire, the largest empire the world had ever seen, had colonies on every continent. It was the most dominant European power at the time of the Berlin Conference. 

The French Empire

The French Empire was concerned about British expansion, so its method of counteracting the British was to conquer as much territory for itself as quickly as possible, seizing most of West Africa before other nations could lay claims to the area.

The Portuguese Empire

Portugal was the nation that requested the Berlin Conference as it looked upon the events in Africa with alarm. Additionally, the Portuguese wanted a portion of Africa to add to their colonial acquisitions.