Central Africa's First Federal Election

T HE EMERGENCE of the new Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, comprising the self-governing state of Southern Rhodesia and the Protectorates of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, has attracted great interest among students of African affairs, comparative institutions, and Commonwealth relations. This new British state in South Central Africa is nearly half a million square miles in extent or almost one-sixth the size of the United States. It is larger than the combined areas of Texas, California and New York, and exceeds in size the whole of Northern Europe, including the British Isles but excepting Scandinavia. The federal area, lying wholly within the tropics, is landlocked. However, the port of Beira in Mozambique (Portuguese East Africa) and the South African ports are extensively used by the Federation territories. There has also been agitation for opening negotiations for the purpose of acquiring territory in Southwest Africa to provide a direct corridor to the sea. The Federation is bordered by the Union of South Africa on the south, by Bechuanaland Protectorate and Angola (Portuguese West Africa) on the west, by the Belgian Congo on the northwest and north, by Tanganyika on the north and by Mozambique on the east. Most of the Rhodesias lie at an altitude of between 3,000 and 5,000 feet above sea level on the plateau of Central Africa. Nyasaland, composed mainly of plateaus and highlands, ranges from 2,500 to nearly 7,500 feet. Though the Federation lacks a great natural waterway system, portions of the Zambezi River (the boundary between the two Rhodesias), the Luapula River, the Chambeshi River, Lake Nyasa and Lake Bangweula are navigable and heavily utilized for internal waterborne transport. The Federation as a whole is relatively sparsely populated, being inhabited by approximately 6,500,000 Africans, 207,000 Europeans, and 24,000 others, mostly Asians. The remainder are Euro-Africans and other

Archaeology · Colonialism · Commonwealth · Geography · Landlocked country · Political science · Portuguese · Protectorate · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Law · South African History and Culture

• Bogey Bogey Stuff’

  Brooks Marmon•The Round Table•2022

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• The Concept of Partnership in the Central African Federation

  Open Access•Henry S Albinski•The Review of Politics•1957

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