British West Africa - wikipedia British West Africa This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2017 ) Location of British West Africa ( from left to right, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast and Nigeria ) British West Africa was the collective name for British colonies in West Africa during the colonial period, either in the general geographical sense or the formal colonial administrative entity. The United Kingdom held varying parts of these territories or the whole throughout the 19th century. From west to east, the colonies became the independent countries of the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria. Until independence, Ghana was referred to as Gold Coast. Contents 1 Historical jurisdiction 2 Social and cultural development 3 Economic development 4 Aftermath 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Historical jurisdiction British West Africa, or the British West African Settlements, constituted during two periods ( 17 October 1821, until its first dissolution on 13 January 1850, and again 19 February 1866, until its final demise on 24 November 1888 ) an administrative entity under a governor - in - chief ( comparable in rank to a Governor - general ), an office vested in the governor of Sierra Leone ( at Freetown ). The other colonies originally included in the jurisdiction were the Gambia and the British Gold Coast ( modern Ghana ). Also western Nigeria, eastern Nigeria and northern Nigeria. Flag of the British West Africa Settlements Social and cultural development British West Africa 's present makeup includes Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Western Nigeria, Eastern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria. Each of these countries and areas are a post-colonial period, or what the Ghanaian writer Kwame Appiah dubs neo-colonialism. British West Africa 's development was solely based on modernisation, and autonomous educational systems were the first step to modernising indigenous culture. Cultures and interests of indigenous peoples were ignored. A new social order, as well as European influences within schools and local traditions, helped mould British West Africa 's culture. Significant was the British West African colonial school curriculum. Local elites developed, with new values and philosophies, who changed the overall cultural development. In terms of social issues with British West Africa ; sex and race usually conflicted each other. ( Carina E. Ray called it the `` White Wife Problem '' ). During British West Africa 's history, interracial relations were frowned upon, and couples might be discriminated against. Black men were often accused of taking the jobs of white British men ( mostly port workers ) jobs as well as stealing their wives. White women were seen as immoral traitors who put their own selfish sexual desires over the good of their nation. There were even certain policies that deported the wives of these relationships back to Britain and denied them access to any of these colonies. Economic development Colonial banks might develop monopolies to control competition, at the expense of British West African citizens. There were only two major banks that operated in British West Africa : Barclays and the Bank of British West Africa. They had major economic and financial influence in British West Africa from about 1916 to 1960. From a dependency theory view point, these banks took advantage through price fixing and certain unfair regulations. Coverage of West African economics by historians, mostly British, has left a legacy of controversy. Three historians, in particular, were accused by Adu Boahen for inaccurate reportage, mainly of Gold Coast and Ghana : William Walton Claridge, in A History of the Gold Coast and Ashanti ( 1915, reprint by Frank Cass in 1964 ) ; William Ernest Frank Ward in History of the Gold Coast ( 1940, published 1948, as A History of Ghana in 1958 ) ; and John Donnelly Fage in Ghana, An Historical Interpretation. Economic development was mostly attributed to each region 's agricultural developments. Development of the financial markets through colonial banking often disadvantaged the colonies as producers of commodities. Aftermath Even after its final dissolution, a single currency, the British West African pound, was in effect throughout the region -- including Nigeria -- from 1907 to 1962. Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Sierra Leone was self - governing by 1958 and gained independence in 1961. Gambia gained independence in 1965. In 1954, the British Gold Coast was allowed by Britain to self - govern and in 1957, the Gold Coast was given independence from Britain, under the name Ghana. See also British colonisation in Africa British Togoland Colonial Nigeria Gold Coast ( British colony ) Gambia Colony and Protectorate Royal West African Frontier Force Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate European colonisation in Africa Danish Gold Coast Dutch Gold Coast Portuguese Gold Coast Scramble for Africa West Africa cricket team References WorldStatesmen - Sierra Leone - British West Africa External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to British West Africa. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_West_Africa&oldid=795851666 '' Categories : British West Africa Former British colonies and protectorates in Africa History of West Africa History of the Gambia History of Ghana History of Nigeria History of Sierra Leone States and territories established in the 1780s States and territories disestablished in 1957 1780s establishments in the British Empire 1957 disestablishments in the British Empire 1957 disestablishments in Africa 1780s establishments in Africa Hidden categories : EngvarB from August 2014 Use dmy dates from August 2014 Articles needing additional references from January 2017 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2016 Articles with unsourced statements from August 2014 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Français Italiano Lietuvių Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Русский Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 16 August 2017, at 21 : 42. 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Question: british colonial rule in west africa started in the year
Answer: 1821