Nyasaland

13°30′S 34°00′E / 13.500°S 34.000°E / -13.500; 34.000

Nyasaland Protectorate
1907–1964
Location of Nyasaland
StatusBritish protectorate
CapitalZomba
Languages
GovernmentConstitutional monarchy
Monarch 
• 1907–1910
Edward VII
• 1910–1936
George V
• 1936
Edward VIII
• 1936–1952
George VI
• 1952–1964
Elizabeth II
Governor 
• 1907–1908 (first)
William Manning
• 1961–1964 (last)
Glyn Smallwood Jones
LegislatureLegislative Council
Establishment
• Establishment
6 July 1907
1 August 1953
31 December 1963
6 July 1964
Area
• Total
102,564 km2 (39,600 sq mi)
Population
• 1924 census
6,930,000[1]
Currency
Time zoneUTC+2 (CAT)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
1907:
Central Africa
Protectorate
1963:
Federation of
Rhodesia and
Nyasaland
1953:
Federation of
Rhodesia and
Nyasaland
1964:
Malawi
Today part ofMalawi

Nyasaland (/nɪˈæsəlænd, nˈæsə-/[2]) was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. After the Federation was dissolved, Nyasaland became independent from Britain on 6 July 1964 and was renamed Malawi.

Nyasaland's history was marked by the massive loss of African communal lands in the early colonial period. In January 1915, the Reverend John Chilembwe staged an attempted rebellion to protest against colonial forced labour and discrimination against Africans, among other grievances. Although the rebellion was unsuccessful, colonial authorities responded by reassessing some of their policies. Throughout the 1930s, a growing class of educated African elite, many educated in the United Kingdom, became increasingly politically active and vocal about gaining independence. They established associations and, after 1944, the Nyasaland African Congress (NAC).[citation needed]

When Nyasaland became part of a federation with Southern and Northern Rhodesia in 1953, there was a rise in civic unrest, as this was deeply unpopular among the people of the territory.[3] The failure of the NAC to prevent this caused its collapse. Soon, a younger and more militant generation revived the NAC. They invited Hastings Banda to return to the country and lead it to independence as Malawi in 1964.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "The British Empire in 1924". The British Empire. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Nyasaland definition and meaning". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Nyasaland Chiefs' Conference (Message) (Hansard, 15 April 1953)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2024.