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Cape Colony

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Cape Colony
Kaapkolonie 
 




 (In Detail) 
 (In Detail)




 




Official language 
English and Dutch1


Capital 
 Cape Town


Largest City 
 Cape Town


Area 
 - Total 
 - % water
Ranked 1st 
569,020 km² (1910)
Negligible


Population 
 - Total (1911) 
 - Population density>Density
Ranked 1st 
2,564,965
4.5/km²


Currency 
 Pound Sterling


Time zone 
 - in European Summer Time>summer
CET (UTC+1)
CEST (UTC+2)


 
1 Dutch was the sole official language until 1806, when the British officially replaced Dutch with English. Dutch was reincluded as a second official language in 1882.


 [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit]


The Cape Colony was a part of South Africa first under Dutch, then under British rule. It stretched from the Atlantic Ocean eastwards: the final eastern boundary, after several wars against the Xhosa, stood at the Fish River. In the north, the Orange River, also known as the Gariep River, served for a long time as the boundary, although some land between the river and the southern boundary of Botswana was later added to it.





Contents





History



 Cape Colony
History


Pre-1806


1806–1870


1870–1899


1899–1910



The history of Cape Colony started in 1652 with the founding of Cape Town by Dutch commander Jan van Riebeeck, working for the Dutch East India Company, known in Dutch as the "Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie" (VOC).


Napoléon occupied the Seven Provinces of the Netherlands in 1795, or the mother country of the Dutch East India Company.  This prompted Great Britain to occupy the territory in 1795 as a tactic in the Napoleonic Wars. The Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie transferred its territories and claims to the Batavian Republic in 1798 and ceased to exist in 1799. The British handed Cape Colony back to the Batavian Republic in 1803.


In 1806, the Cape, now nominally controlled by the Batavian Republic, was occupied again by the British in the Battle of Blauberg in order to keep Napoleon out of the Cape, and to control the Far East trade routes. 


They set up a British colony on 8 January, 1806. Cape Colony remained under British rule until the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it became the Cape of Good Hope Province, better known as the Cape Province.



Government


The title of the founder of the Cape Colony, Jan van Riebeeck, was "Commander of the Cape", a position which he held from 1652 to 1662. He was succeeded by a long line of both Dutch and British colonial administrators, depending on who was in power at the time:


(Note: all subsequently listed persons held the post of Governor, unless otherwise noted.)




The post of High Commissioner for Southern Africa was also held from 27 January 1847 to 31 May 1910 by the Governor of the Cape Colony. The post of Governor of the Cape Colony became extinct on 31 May 1910, when it joined the Union of South Africa.


The prime ministers of the Cape Colony were:




The post of prime minister of the Cape Colony also became extinct on 31 May 1910, when it joined the Union of South Africa.






Provinces



Geography



Economy



Culture



See also



References




























 




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