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Union of South Africa facts for kids

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Union of South Africa
Unie van Suid-Afrika
Unie van Zuid-Afrika
1910–1961
Coat of arms of South Africa
Coat of arms
Motto: Ex Unitate Vires
(Latin: From Unity, Strength)
Anthem: Die Stem van Suid-Afrika
"The Call of South Africa"
Location of the Union of South Africa. South-West Africa shown as disputed area (administered as 5th province of the Union).
Location of the Union of South Africa. South-West Africa shown as disputed area (administered as 5th province of the Union).
Capital Cape Town (legislative)
Pretoria (administrative)
Bloemfontein (judicial)
Pietermaritzburg (archival)
Common languages Dutch, English, Afrikaans (after 1925)
Government Constitutional monarchy
Monarch  
• 1910-1936
George V
• 1936
Edward VIII
• 1936-1952
George VI
Governor-General  
• 1910-1914
The Viscount Gladstone
• 1959-1961
Charles Robberts Swart
Prime Minister  
• 1910-1919
Louis Botha
• 1919-'24, 1939-1948
Jan Smuts
• 1924-1939
J.B.M. Hertzog
• 1948-1954
D.F. Malan
• 1954-1958
J.G. Strijdom
• 1958-1961
H.F. Verwoerd
Legislature Parliament
Senate
House of Assembly
History  
• Union
31 May 1910
11 December 1931
• Republic
31 May 1961
Area
1961 2,045,320 km2 (789,700 sq mi)
Population
• 1961
18216000
Currency South African pound
ISO 3166 code ZA
Preceded by
Succeeded by
British Cape Colony
Colony of Natal
Orange River Colony
Transvaal Colony
South Africa
Today part of  South Africa
 Namibia

The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the modern-day Republic of South Africa. It was formed on 31 May 1910 when the British Cape Colony and the Natal Colony unified with the defeated Boer republics of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. The provinces of the union were called, respectively, as the Cape Province, the Natal Province, the Transvaal Province, and the Orange Free State Province. Following World War I, the former German colony of German South-West Africa was put under administration of the Union of South Africa as a League of Nations mandate and was treated as if it were another province.

The Union of South Africa came to an end on 31 May 1961, when a new constitution came into effect, transforming the Union of South Africa into a republic, under the name 'Republic of South Africa'.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Unión Sudafricana para niños

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