Union of South Africa
From Free net encyclopedia
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| National motto: Ex Unitate Vires (Latin: From Unity, strength} | |||||
| Image:LocationSouthAfrica.png | |||||
| Official languages | Afrikaans, English. | ||||
| Capitals | Cape Town (legislative) Pretoria (administrative) Bloemfontein (judicial) | ||||
| Political system | Parliamentary system | ||||
| Form of government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||
| - Last monarch | Queen Elizabeth II | ||||
| - Last Governor-General | Charles Robberts Swart | ||||
| - Last Prime Minister | Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | 2,045,320 km² Negligible | ||||
| Population - January 1961 est. - Density | 18,216,000 8.91/km² | ||||
| Independence - Dominion - Republic | From the United Kingdom 31 May 1910 31 May 1961 | ||||
| Currency | South African Pound (R) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC+2 | ||||
| National anthem | Die Stem van Suid-Afrika | ||||
The Union of South Africa came into being on 31 May 1910, comprising four states representing the British and Boer populations of South Africa following the end of the Second Boer War in 1902. The two British colonies, the Cape Colony and Natal Colony, were combined with the two defeated Boer states, the South African Republic and Orange Free State, known thereafter as the Cape Province, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State, respectively.
Unlike Canada and Australia, the Union was a unitary state, rather than a federation, with each colony's parliaments being abolished and replaced with provincial councils. A bicameral parliament was created, consisting of a House of Assembly and Senate, and its members were elected mostly by the country's white minority.
Owing to disagreements over where the Union's capital city should be, a compromise was reached in which every province would be represented: the seat of government would be in Pretoria (Transvaal), the seat of parliament would be in Cape Town (Cape Province), the judiciary would be in Bloemfontein (Orange Free State), and Pietermaritzburg (Natal) was given financial compensation. This arrangement continues to this day, with government ministers, civil servants, and diplomats moving from Pretoria to Cape Town every year when Parliament is in session, and back to Pretoria when it is not.
The Union remained under the British Crown as self-governing dominion of the British Empire, and later the Commonwealth. The monarchy was represented in South Africa by a Governor-General, while effective power was exercised by the Prime Minister. Louis Botha, formerly a Boer general, was appointed first Prime Minister of the Union, heading a coalition representing the white Afrikaner and English-speaking communities.
Originally, Dutch was an official language alongside English, but it was replaced by Afrikaans in 1926.
Following a referendum on 5 October 1960, in which whites voted in favour of a republic, the Union became the Republic of South Africa on 31 May 1961 and left the Commonwealth in the face of condemnation of its apartheid policies.
Template:Wikisourcecataf:Unie van Suid-Afrika de:Südafrikanische Union fr:Union de l'Afrique du sud it:Unione Sudafricana nl:Unie van Zuid-Afrika pt:União Sul-Africana