History of South Africa

The history of South Africa encompasses over three million years. The first inhabitants of the area known as South Africa were ape-like hominids, who migrated to South Africa around three million years ago. They were gradually replaced around a million years ago by homo erectus, who also spread across Africa and into Europe and Asia. Homo erectus were replaced by homo sapiens around 100,000 years ago. The first homo sapiens formed the Bushman culture, whose members were skilled hunter-gatherers. Around 2,500 years ago, Bantu peoples migrated into South Africa from the Niger River Delta. The Bushmen and the Bantu lived mostly peacefully together, although since they had no method of writing, little is known of this period outside of archaeological artefacts.

Related Topics:
South Africa - Ape - Hominid - Homo erectus - Africa - Europe - Asia - Homo sapiens - Bushman culture - Hunter-gatherer - Bantu peoples - Migrated - Niger River Delta - Writing - Archaeological - Artefact

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The written history of South Africa begins with the arrival of the first European explorers to the region. While the Portuguese were the first Europeans to see South Africa, they did not choose to colonise it, and instead the Dutch set up a supply depot on the Cape of Good Hope. This depot rapidly developed into the Cape Colony. The British seized Cape Colony from the Dutch in the end of the 18th century, and Cape Colony became a British colony. The ever-expanding number of European settlers prompted fights with the natives over the rights to land and farming, which caused numerous fatalities on both sides. Hostilities also emerged between the Dutch and the British, and many Dutch people trekked into the central Highveld in order to establish their own colonies. The Dutch, by then known as the Boers, and the British went to war twice in the Anglo-Boer Wars, which ended in the defeat of the Boers and their independent republics.

Related Topics:
Europe - Portuguese - Colonise - Dutch - Cape of Good Hope - Cape Colony - British - 18th century - Land - Farming - Fatalities - Trekked - Highveld - Boer - Anglo-Boer War - Republic

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The Cape Colony and the two Boer republics unified in 1910 as the Union of South Africa. Black people were not granted suffrage in the Boer republics, and the rights of Black, Coloured, and Asian people continued to erode in the Union. The National Party came to power 1948, on the platform of racial discrimination that came to be known as apartheid. Apartheid became deeply entrenched in South African society, despite continued resistance. South Africa became a republic in 1961. The African National Congress was the most active black-run organisation to oppose apartheid, and after two decades of repression and economic troubles, apartheid was dismantled under F.W. de Klerk in 1992. The first multi-racial vote in South African history was held in 1994, making Nelson Mandela the President. South Africa now is a multi-racial democracy.

Related Topics:
1910 - Union of South Africa - Suffrage - Coloured - Asian - National Party - 1948 - Apartheid - Republic - 1961 - African National Congress - F.W. de Klerk - 1992 - Multi-racial vote - 1994 - Nelson Mandela - President - Democracy

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