Exarchate of Africa (Theodoro-Samos)

The Exarchate of Africa (Greek: Exarchía tis Afrikís; Latin: Exarchatus Africae) was a colony of Theodoro-Samos, known then as the Roman Empire of the East. The colony covered the peninsula of Cabo Blanco, today known as Ras Nouadhibou, as well as some surrounding areas of the African continent. The territory that formerly comprised the Exarchate of Africa is mostly located in modern-day Mauritania, with a small portion located in the disputed territory of the Western Sahara.

Granted to Theodoro-Samos during the Berlin Conference of 1884, Theodoro-Samos began colonising the area in 1845, assuming full control by 1847. During the period of Theodoro-Samiot control, the colonial authorities engaged in only a few small-scale economic endeavours, constructing a harbour in the capital city of New Carthage (today Nouadhibou, Mauritania) and employing native workers in a copper mine in the colony's interior. In 1906, a group of dissatisfied dockworkers in New Carthage initiated a strike, which escalated into a series riots that spread across the capital city. By 1907, the rebels had taken control of the entirety of New Carthage, forcing the colonial authorities to relocate to the fishing village of Imraguen on the western side of Cabo Blanco. Fearing that the instability could spread, the French invaded New Carthage, taking control of the colony and integrating it into French Mauritania.