British Central Africa Protectorate | |||||||||
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| 1893–1907 | |||||||||
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Motto: Light in Darkness | |||||||||
| Anthem: God Save the Queen/King | |||||||||
_(19796714443).jpg) Map of southern Africa, 1897. The British Central Africa Protectorate is shaded dark pink. | |||||||||
| Status | Protectorate of British Empire | ||||||||
| Capital | Zomba | ||||||||
| Common languages | English (official) Chewa, Yao, Tumbuka | ||||||||
| Religion | Christianity, Islam, Bantu mythology, Tumbuka religion | ||||||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||||
| Monarch | |||||||||
• 1893-1901 | Victoria | ||||||||
• 1901-1907 | Edward VII | ||||||||
| Commissioner | |||||||||
• 1893-1896 (first) | Harry Johnston | ||||||||
• 1907 (last) | Francis Barrow Pearce | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1893 | ||||||||
• Changed to Nyasaland Protectorate | 6 July 1907 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 1904[1] | 109,342 km2 (42,217 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Currency | Rhodesian pound | ||||||||
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The British Central Africa Protectorate (BCA) was a British protectorate proclaimed in 1889 and ratified in 1891 that occupied the same area as present-day Malawi: it was renamed Nyasaland in 1907. British interest in the area arose from visits made by David Livingstone from 1858 onward during his exploration of the Zambezi area. This encouraged missionary activity that started in the 1860s, undertaken by the Universities' Mission to Central Africa, the Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland, and which was followed by a small number of settlers. The Portuguese government attempted to claim much of the area in which the missionaries and settlers operated, but this was disputed by the British government. To forestall a Portuguese expedition claiming effective occupation, a protectorate was proclaimed, first over the south of this area, then over the whole of it in 1889. After negotiations with the Portuguese and German governments on its boundaries, the protectorate was formally ratified by the British government in May 1891.
- ^ "Census of the British empire. 1901". Openlibrary.org. 1906. p. 178. Retrieved 26 December 2013.