South West Africa

South West Africa
Suidwes-Afrika Zuidwest-Afrika Südwestafrika
Mandate of South Africa
1915–1990
Flag (1928–1990) Coat of arms
Location of South West Africa
Capital		Windhoek
Languages		English, Afrikaans, Khoekhoe, Dutch (1915–1983) and German (1884–1990)
Political structure		League of Nations Mandate
History
•	Established	1915
•	Treaty of Versailles	28 June 1919
•	Independence	21 March 1990
Currency		South West African pound (1920–61) South African rand (1961–90)
Preceded by Succeeded by German South West Africa Namibia

South West Africa (Afrikaans: Suidwes-Afrika; Dutch: Zuidwest-Afrika; German: Südwestafrika) was the name for modern-day Namibia when it was ruled by the German Empire and later South Africa.

As a German colony from 1884, it was known as German South West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika). Germany had a difficult time administering the territory, which experienced many insurrections, especially those led by guerilla leader Jacob Morenga. The main port, Walvis Bay, and the Penguin Islands were annexed by Britain in 1878, becoming part of the Cape Colony in 1884. Following the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, Walvis Bay became part of the Cape Province.

As part of the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty in 1890, a corridor of land taken from the northern border of Bechuanaland, extending as far as the Zambezi river, was added to the colony. It was named the Caprivi Strip (Caprivizipfel) after the German Chancellor Leo von Caprivi.

In 1915, during South West Africa Campaign of the First World War, South Africa captured the German colony. After the war, it was declared a League of Nations Class C Mandate territory under the Treaty of Versailles, with the Union of South Africa responsible for the administration of South West Africa. From 1922, this included Walvis Bay, which, under the South West Africa Affairs Act, was governed if it were part of the mandated territory. South West Africa remained a League of Nations Mandate until World War II.