| Federation of Mutapa I-Federation Mutapa (Zulu) Timeline: DifferentlyUmanyano Mutapa (Xhosa) | ||||||
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| Motto: "ǃke e꞉ ǀxarra ǁke" (ǀXam) "Unity in Diversity" |
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| Anthem: Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika |
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 Location of Mutapa (green)
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| Capital | Tshwane | |||||
| Largest city | Johannesburg | |||||
| Official languages | Zulu • Xhosa • Swazi • Sesotho • Sepedi • Setswana • Tsonga • Tshivenda • isiNdebele | |||||
| Other languages | English | |||||
| Religion | Protestantism | |||||
| Demonym(s) | Mutapan | |||||
| Government | Federal parliamentary elective monarchy | |||||
| - | Monarch | Letsie III | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Cyril Ramaphosa | ||||
| Legislature | INkongolo | |||||
| Establishment | ||||||
| - | Independence from United Kingdom | 3 November 1964 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 766,405 km2 295,911 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | Estimate | 51,441,034 (35th) | ||||
| Currency | Mutapan rand | |||||
| Drives on the | left | |||||
Mutapa, officially the Federation of Mutapa, is a country in southeastern Africa. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the southeast and shares borders with the Boer Republic to the west, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north, and Mozambique to the northeast. The capital is Tshwane and the largest city is Johannesburg. Its surface area of 766,405 square kilometers makes it the 12th-largest country in Africa and the 39th-largest in the world. With a population of over 51.4 million inhabitants, it is the seventh-most populous country in Africa and the 34th in the world.
The nation has its origins in colonization by Britain in the mid to late 19th century. In the 1960s, Nelson Mandela led the country to independence and united all bantustans with regional leaders into a single sovereign polity. Mandela became its first prime minister, naming the new country after the historical Kingdom of Mutapa (1430–1860), whose territory once covered much of southern Africa. Similar to Malaysia, the nation has a system of elective monarchy. The monarch can be from the subnational monarchies or one of the Chieftans of the various tribes. Mutapa and the Boer Republic have had very tense relations since then.
About 88% of Mutapans are of Black African origin. A multi-ethnic society encompassing a wide variety of cultures, languages, and religions, Mutapa is divided among several ethnic groups speaking different African languages. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the constitution's recognition of 10 official languages, one of the highest in the world. The two most spoken languages are Zulu and Xhosa.
Mutapa is a developing country and has been classified by the World Bank as a newly industrialised country. The country is a middle power in international affairs; it maintains significant regional influence and is a member of the League of Nations. However, crime, poverty and inequality remain widespread, with about a quarter of the population unemployed and living in precarious condition.
History[]
Pre-History[]
Pre-Colonial Societies[]
British Colonization[]
As Dutch expansion across southern Africa came to a crawl, the United Kingdom decided to establish a foothold in the nearby area. It later came to proclaim the Natal Colony in 1821. It assumed complete control of the area in 1823. At this point, the extremely expansionist and aggressive Zulu nation often clashed with the British at the colony. Shaka Zulu had come to power only a few years prior, and had begun to organize large armies in the Zululand and wage wars against his neighbors. The Swazi and Sotho peoples became consolidated in their struggle against Zulu expansion. They were propped up by the Natal Colony as a bulwark against the Zulu.
Full scale war broke out between the Zulu and British in 1828 after British negotiators were allegedly massacred. After the Battle of Blood River in which the British completely routed the Zulu, a boundary was finally set. Shaka Zulu would later be overthrown and killed following this defeat. The British further expanded, coming into conflict with the Zulu two more times, as well as with the Sotho and Swazi peoples.
The British established a thriving sugar cane industry by the 1860s. It had brought in thousands of indentured Indian laborers from the British Raj to support the industry. A somewhat significant amount of European settlers began to settle in the region. These numbers increased with mineral discoveries in the Zululand and north. Approximately 30,000 had settled the colony by the 1910s. This number further increased to 80,000 by the 1950s. They gained a significant voice in affairs, though never to the point of being able to establish a white led state.
During the Anglo-American War, Mutapa was an important source of manpower and raw resources for the British Empire.
Post-Independence[]
Government[]
The Government is a federal parliamentary elective monarchy ruled by a King who is elected. The candidates for King of Mutapa are the Kings of Lesotho, Eswatini and Zululand with the Tribal Chieftans of all the other Provinces. One of these monarchs will be elected by a council of tribal elders and appointed by the Prime Minister of the country. The one who is picked by the elders and Prime Minister will become the King of Mutapa. The King will move to the capital city of Pretoria as their heir rules as regent.
The King rules Mutapa for 12 years, after twelve years the King returns to his home as the elders and Prime Minister elect another King to become the King of Mutapa.
Subdivisions[]
Mutapa is divided into nine provinces. The provinces of Lesotho, Eswatini, and KwaZulu-Natal are autonomous kingdoms. The other monarchs in Mutapa are nothing more than tribal chieftains of their groups.
Sports[]
Mutapa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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