South Africa (Concert of Europe)

South African Union
Suid-Afrikaansche Unie
Timeline: Concert of Europe


Flag	Coat of Arms

Motto
Ex Unitate Vires (Latin)
("Strenght From Unity")

Anthem

"Die Stern van Suid-Afrika"

Capital
(and largest city)

Cape Town

Other cities

Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg

Language

Afrikaans

Religion
main

Protestantism

others

Traditional Beliefs

Demonym

South African

Government

Federal Presidential Republic

Established

11 December 1931

Independence

from Great Britain

Currency

South African pound

The South African Union (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaansche Unie), colloquially called South Africa (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrika), is a country in Southern Africa, and indeed the southernmost country on the African continent. It borders the Indian Ocean to its east, the Portuguese colony of Mozambique to its northeast, Rhodesia and the Bechuanaland condominium to its north, the German colony of German Southwest Africa to its northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to its west and south. The lands of South Africa are divided between imposing, tall mountains and vast plateaus covered in savannas.

The country was born in the 17th century when Dutch settlers (Boers) arrived from Europe. Since then, the territory became a British possession after a series of violent conflicts: afterwards, the country gradually became independent before willingly cutting all ties with Britain during the Great War. Afrikaans, a dialect of Dutch spoken by the boers, was made the only official language of the state, and many ethnically British inhabitants of the country were expelled.

Today, South Africa is one of the most prosperous and powerful independent countries in Africa. The majority of the population is Afrikaner (descendants of the boers who settled the country starting from the 17th century), and there is also a mixed-race minority; racial segregation is enforced by the state with an apartheid regime: indigenous communities and tribes have their own semi-independent territories (called "bantustans") to manage and are granted a limited representation in the South African government. South Africa's economy is based on mining, naval industry and agriculture. The country is made up of four republics:

Also, the Bechuanaland territory is shared in a codominium with neighboring Rhodesia.