Nyasaland

13°30′S 34°00′E

Nyasaland Protectorate
1907–1964
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
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-/) 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 attempt at rebellion in protest at discrimination against Africans. Colonial authorities reassessed some of their policies. From 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).

When Nyasaland was forced in 1953 into a Federation with Southern and Northern Rhodesia, there was a rise in civic unrest, as this was deeply unpopular among the people of the territory. 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.

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