Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953–1963 | |||||||||||||||||
| Motto: Magni Esse Mereamur "Let Us Achieve Greatness" | |||||||||||||||||
| Anthem: "God Save the Queen" | |||||||||||||||||
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| Status | |||||||||||||||||
| Capital and largest city | Salisbury | ||||||||||||||||
| Languages | English, Shona, Tumbuka, Ndebele, Bemba, Chewa | ||||||||||||||||
| Government | Federal monarchy | ||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | |||||||||||||||||
• 1953-1963 | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||
| Governor-General | |||||||||||||||||
• 1953–1957 | The Lord Llewellin | ||||||||||||||||
• 1957–1963 | The Earl of Dalhousie | ||||||||||||||||
• 1963 | Sir Humphrey Gibbs | ||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||||||||||
• 1953–1956 | The Viscount Malvern | ||||||||||||||||
• 1956–1963 | Sir Roy Welensky | ||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||
• Federation | 1 August 1953 | ||||||||||||||||
| 31 December 1963 | |||||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||||
• Total | 1,261,674 km2 (487,135 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||
| Currency | CAF pound | ||||||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Today part of | Malawi Zambia Zimbabwe | ||||||||||||||||
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The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation (CAF), was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia and the British protectorates of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. It existed between 1953 and 1963.
The Federation was established on 1 August 1953,[1][2] with a Governor-General as the Queen's representative at the centre. The constitutional status of the three territories – a self-governing Colony and two Protectorates – was not affected, though certain enactments applied to the Federation as a whole as if it were part of Her Majesty's dominions and a Colony.[3] A novel feature was the African Affairs Board, set up to safeguard the interests of Africans and endowed with statutory powers for that purpose, particularly in regard to discriminatory legislation.[3][4] The economic advantages to the Federation were never seriously called into question, and the causes of the Federation's failure were purely political: the strong and growing opposition of the African inhabitants.[3][4]: 393 The rulers of the new black African states were united in wanting to end colonialism in Africa. With most of the world moving away from colonialism during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the United Kingdom was subjected to pressure to decolonise from both the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). These groups supported the aspirations of the black African nationalists and accepted their claims to speak on behalf of the people.
The federation officially ended on 31 December 1963.[5][6] In 1964, shortly after the dissolution, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland became independent under the names Zambia and Malawi, respectively. In November 1965, Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom as the state of Rhodesia.
- ^ Rhodesia and Nyasaland Federation Act, 1953 of the United Kingdom (1 and 2 EI, 2, c. 30)
- ^ Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Constitution) Order in Council, 1953 of the United Kingdom, S.I. 1953 No. 1199, p. 1804
- ^ a b c Roberts-Wray, Kenneth (1966). Commonwealth and Colonial Law. London: Stevens. p. 745.
- ^ a b Somerville, J. J. B. (1963). "The Central African Federation". International Affairs. 39 (3): 386–402. doi:10.2307/2611207. JSTOR 2611207 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Rhodesia and Nyasaland Act, 1964
- ^ Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Dissolution) Order in Council, 1963, S.I. 1963 No. 2085, p.4477.