at any given time is… the product,

on the one hand, of geographical conditions,

both economic and strategic, and, on the other hand,

of the relative number, virility, equipment

and organization of the competing peoples.”

Covering the southern tip of the African continent by 1,227,200 square kilometers and having about 3,000 kilometers of coastlines lies the Republic of South Africa . Just nine years ago Republic of South Africa was ruled by its’ white minority group that started settling in the Cape Town more than three hundred years ago and took root in the African continent. “White rule” lasted since early 20th century and was one the world’s worst regimes that existed and which had been heavily criticized by the international community. However today, South Africa is one of the most developed countries in the African continent and now seems to be more or less democratic after it received full independence from Britain and started practicing free elections. The modern “face” of Africa was brought not by Africans themselves, but the whites that ruled it. And throughout the 19th and mid - 20th centuries it was under Brit

The other important meaning of possessing South Africa was a connection with other colonies since Britain was the major Empire of the world at those times, which possessed India, Australia and other small islands . The geographical location of South Africa made it possible for British Empire to control the sea routes to Asian commerce in which West was intensely involved. This gave it an opportunity to sell the produces of the South African settlers to the traveling merchant capitalists. The Indian colony controlled by the British East India Company was one of the important colonies, and it was called “Jewel in the Crown”. Consequently South Africa was a “way” to “jewel in the crown”. Especially, prior to the construction of the Suez Canal in the late 19th century, it was a “Golden route” that was very strategically important, because otherwise Britain would lose it connection with the other colonies. Colin Cross puts forward that “in the period before the opening of the Suez Canal … it had provided a useful stopping place on the long voyage from Britain to India by way of South Africa” . And since West, especially industrialized Britain, did a lot of commerce and trading, and brought raw materials and produces of the colonies and other trading partners, controlling the routes were crucial for British Empire to hold onto its “greatness”. However, even if when the Suez Canal was built its “connecting significance” of South Africa did not secede totally because the “African route” was used by the others and at the same time this was an optional route at the hard times of “Suez route”. Also in shipping (of everything) British Empire’s share was about the 40 % of the World total, so again having a safe route was important.

ish rule. British Empire invested a lot of capital in its colonies and South Africa was one of those colonies that had great capital flow from the “ruler” British Empire. As Eric Hobsbawm puts it “…most of the British foreign investment went to the rapidly developing and generally old white – settler colonies, soon to be recognized as virtually independent ‘dominion’ (…South Africa…)…” . South Africa was not the only colony of the British Empire, and British Empire was so vast that there was a saying “Sun never sets on the British Empire”. In addition Britain possessed other parts of the African continent at the northwest. However, even if South Africa was one of those colonies that Britain possessed, it was very significant. My hypothesis for this research is that geography of South Africa was the major factor for British Empire to conquer it in early 19th century and poses it throughout 20th century. And in this research paper I will study the geographical significance of South Africa to the British Empire, and try to answer questions like how geographically was South Africa important, and what South Africa meant to British Empire, and what were the geopolitical meaning of South Africa to the British Empire throughout their relationship.

British Colonialism touched South African colony in late 18th century when British seized it from the Dutch. The reasons for this are not clear, because British eventually returned it back to Dutch, and took South Africa back again in 1806. According to Bill Hansen British Empire seized the Cape colony from Dutch “for future need” , that is “maybe it will be useful in the future”. This means that British did not have concrete “vision” of the reasons for possessing South Africa because they would return it back to Dutch then.

Some topics in this essay:
South Africa, British Empire, south africa, Cape Town, South African, british empire, Eric Hobsbawm, Suez Canal, Boer War, Africa Britain, Afrikaners” Afrikaners, , south africa british, 19th century, africa british, africa british empire, 20th century, african continent, raw materials, south african, empire control, boer war, union south africa, geopolitics south africa, south africa developed,