Nyasaland Protectorate | ||||||||||
Protectorate of the United Kingdom | ||||||||||
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Anthem "God Save the King/Queen" |
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Capital | Zomba | |||||||||
Languages | English (official), Chichewa, Yao, Tumbuka | |||||||||
Religion | Christianity, Islam | |||||||||
Government | Constitutional monarchy | |||||||||
Monarch | ||||||||||
• | 1907–1910 | Edward VII | ||||||||
• | 1910–1936 | George V | ||||||||
• | 1936 | Edward VIII | ||||||||
• | 1936–1952 | George VI | ||||||||
• | 1952–1964 | Elizabeth II | ||||||||
Governor | ||||||||||
• | 1907–1908 | Sir William Henry Manning | ||||||||
• | 1923–1929 | Sir Charles Calvert Bowring | ||||||||
• | 1948–1953 | Geoffrey Francis Taylor Colby | ||||||||
• | 1963–1964 | Sir Glyn Smallwood Jones | ||||||||
History | ||||||||||
• | Established | 6 July 1907 | ||||||||
• | Federation | 1953–1963 | ||||||||
• | Disestablished | 6 July 1964 | ||||||||
Currency |
Southern Rhodesian pound (1907–56) Rhodesia and Nyasaland pound (1956–64) |
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Today part of | Malawi |
Nyasaland, or the Nyasaland Protectorate (/ˈnjɑːsɑːˌlænd/ or /naɪˈæsəˌlænd/), was a British protectorate located in Africa, which 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 attempt at rebellion in protest at discrimination against Africans, which prompted some re-assessment of their policies by colonial authorities. A growing educated African elite became increasingly vocal and politically active from the 1930s, first through associations, and after 1944, through the Nyasaland African Congress (NAC).
There was a marked increase in civil agitation when Nyasaland was forced into a Federation with Southern and Northern Rhodesia in 1953. The failure of the NAC to prevent this caused its collapse. It was revived not long afterwards by a younger and more militant generation which, ultimately, invited Hastings Banda to return to the country and lead it to independence.