Germany was a latecomer to colonization. Bismarck decided to join the race for colonies only in 1884-85, in part because public opinion demanded it. Germany’s expansion included territories in Africa and the Pacific. The hotel seen in the photograph below, in the colony of German East Africa (present-day Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda), catered to German travelers and businessmen. German East Africa was the largest of Germany’s colonial possessions both in terms of its area and population. The town of Daressalam on the coast of East Africa became the seat of the German colonial government in 1891. The German colonizers subsequently erected a number of military and civilian buildings that were reminiscent of European architecture and served the needs of the colonial government, German settlers and businesses.