viernes, 28 de noviembre de 2008

South Africa




South Africa

Dutch settlers came to Southern Africa in 1652 and established the port of Cape Town.
These Dutch settlers came to be known as the Afrikaners and they conquered all the lands around the Port, which were then called the Cape Colony.
Before the Suez Canal was constructed the quickest sea route to Asia form Europe was around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa so it made this region the major area for trading.
During the Napoleonic wars British seized the strategic value of the Cape Colony and conflicts with the Afrikaners began.
British people start having control over this area and they came to be known as the Boers.
Afrikaners rejected British rule reason why they moved northeast; movement that was then called the Great Trek. There they establish to independent republics, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.
We can conclude that South Africa during that time was really important because it had something that was essential for European powers to have: a connection between Africa and Europe (before the Suez Canal being built) that facilitated them the transport of raw materials and trading products. At the end, this region suffered the domination and struggles involving the Afrikaners and the Boers, and also a lot of unfair systems and laws established by them, like for example slavery and racism.



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