Cape Colony - wikipedia Cape Colony For the previous Dutch colony, see Dutch Cape Colony. 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 2018 ) Cape of Good Hope Kaap de Goede Hoop ( Dutch ) British colony 1795 -- 1910 Flag Coat of arms Anthem God Save the King ( 1795 -- 1837 ; 1901 -- 1910 ) God Save the Queen ( 1837 -- 1901 ) The Cape of Good Hope c. 1890 with Griqualand East and Griqualand West annexed and Stellaland / Goshen ( in light red ) claimed Capital Cape Town Languages English, Dutch ( official1 ) Khoekhoe, Xhosa also spoken Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican, San religion Government Constitutional monarchy King / Queen 1795 -- 1820 George III 1820 -- 1830 George IV 1830 -- 1837 William IV 1837 -- 1901 Victoria 1901 -- 1910 Edward VII Governor 1797 -- 1798 George Macartney 1901 -- 1910 Walter Hely - Hutchinson Prime Minister 1872 -- 1878 John Charles Molteno 1908 -- 1910 John X. Merriman Historical era Imperialism Established 1795 Dutch colony 1803 -- 1806 Anglo - Dutch treaty 1814 Natal incorporated 1844 Disestablished 1910 Area 1822 331,900 km ( 128,100 sq mi ) 1910 569,020 km ( 219,700 sq mi ) Population 1822 est. 110,380 Density 0 / km ( 1 / sq mi ) 1865 census est. 496,381 1910 est. 2,564,965 Density 5 / km ( 12 / sq mi ) Currency Pound sterling Preceded by Succeeded by Dutch Cape Colony British Bechuanaland South Africa Basutoland Today part of Namibia South Africa Lesotho 1 Dutch was the sole official language until 1806, when the British officially replaced Dutch with English. Dutch was reincluded as a second official language in 1882. Penguin Islands and Walvis Bay Basutoland was annexed to the Cape Colony in 1871, before becoming a Crown colony in 1884. Historical states in present - day South Africa before 1600 Kingdom of Mapungubwe ( 1050 -- 1270 ) Kingdom of Mutapa ( 1430 -- 1760 ) 1600 -- 1700 Dutch Cape Colony ( 1652 -- 1795 ) 1700 -- 1800 Mthethwa Paramountcy ( ca. 1780 -- 1817 ) Ndwandwe ( ca. 1780 -- 1817 ) Swellendam ( 1795 ) Graaff - Reinet ( 1795 -- 96 ) Cape Colony ( 1795 -- 1802 ) 1800 -- 1850 Dutch Cape Colony ( 1802 -- 06 ) Cape Colony ( 1806 -- 1910 ) Waterboer 's Land ( 1813 -- 71 ) Zulu Kingdom ( 1818 -- 97 ) Adam Kok 's Land ( 1825 -- 61 ) Winburg ( 1836 -- 44 ) Potchefstroom ( 1837 -- 48 ) Natalia Republic ( 1839 -- 43 ) 1850 -- 1875 South African Republic ( 1852 -- 1902 ) Orange Free State ( 1854 -- 1902 ) Republic of Utrecht ( 1854 -- 58 ) Lydenburg Republic ( 1856 -- 60 ) Griqualand East ( 1861 -- 79 ) Griqualand West ( 1870 -- 80 ) Diggers ' Republic ( 1870 - 71 ) 1875 -- 1900 Stellaland ( 1882 -- 85 ) Goshen ( 1882 -- 83 ) Nieuw Republiek ( 1884 -- 88 ) Klein Vrystaat ( 1886 -- 91 ) 1900 -- present Cape Colony ( 1652 -- 1910 ) Union of South Africa ( 1910 -- 61 ) Transkei ( 1976 -- 94 ) Bophuthatswana ( 1977 -- 94 ) Venda ( 1979 -- 94 ) Ciskei ( 1981 -- 94 ) Republic of South Africa ( 1961 -- present ) South Africa portal The Cape of Good Hope, also known as the Cape Colony ( Dutch : Kaapkolonie ), was a British colony in present - day South Africa, named after the Cape of Good Hope. The British colony was preceded by an earlier Dutch colony of the same name, the Kaap de Goede Hoop, established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company. The Cape was under Dutch rule from 1652 to 1795 and again from 1803 to 1806. The Dutch lost the colony to Great Britain following the 1795 Battle of Muizenberg, but had it returned following the 1802 Peace of Amiens. It was re-occupied by the UK following the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806, and British possession affirmed with the Anglo - Dutch Treaty of 1814. The Cape of Good Hope then remained in the British Empire, becoming self - governing in 1872, and uniting with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa in 1910. It then was renamed the Province of the Cape of Good Hope. South Africa became a sovereign state in 1931 by the Statute of Westminster. In 1961 it became the Republic of South Africa and obtained its own monetary unit called the Rand. Following the 1994 creation of the present - day South African provinces, the Cape Province was partitioned into the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape, with smaller parts in North West province. The Cape of Good Hope was coextensive with the later Cape Province, stretching from the Atlantic coast inland and eastward along the southern coast, constituting about half of modern South Africa : the final eastern boundary, after several wars against the Xhosa, stood at the Fish River. In the north, the Orange River, also known as the Gariep River, served as the boundary for some time, although some land between the river and the southern boundary of Botswana was later added to it. From 1878, the colony also included the enclave of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands, both in what is now Namibia. Contents 1 History 1.1 Dutch settlement 1.2 British conquest 1.3 British Colonisation 1.4 Responsible Government 2 Governors of the Cape of Good Hope ( 1797 -- 1910 ) 2.1 British occupation ( 1st, 1797 -- 1804 ) 2.2 Batavian Republic ( Dutch colony ) ( 1803 -- 1806 ) 2.3 British occupation ( 2nd, 1806 -- 1814 ) 2.4 British colony ( 1814 -- 1910 ) 3 Prime Ministers of the Cape of Good Hope ( 1872 -- 1910 ) 4 Demographics 4.1 1904 Census 5 See also 6 References 6.1 Sources History Dutch settlement Main article : Dutch Cape Colony An expedition of the Dutch East India Company ( VOC ) led by Jan van Riebeeck established a trading post and naval victualing station at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Van Riebeeck 's objective was to secure a harbour of refuge for Dutch ships during the long voyages between Europe and Asia. Within about three decades, the Cape had become home to a large community of `` vrijlieden '', also known as `` vrijburgers '' ( free citizens ), former VOC employees who settled in Dutch colonies overseas after completing their service contracts. Vrijburgers were mostly married Dutch citizens who undertook to spend at least twenty years farming the land within the fledgling colony 's borders ; in exchange they received tax exempt status and were loaned tools and seeds. Reflecting the multi-national nature of the early trading companies, the Dutch also granted vrijburger status to a number of former Scandinavian and German employees as well. In 1688 they also sponsored the immigration of nearly two hundred French Huguenot refugees who had fled to the Netherlands upon the Edict of Fontainebleau. There was a degree of cultural assimilation due to intermarriage, and the almost universal adoption of the Dutch language. Many of the colonists who settled directly on the frontier became increasingly independent and localised in their loyalties. Known as Boer s, they migrated westwards beyond the Cape Colony 's initial borders and had soon penetrated almost a thousand kilometres inland. Some Boers even adopted a nomadic lifestyle permanently and were denoted as trekboers. The Dutch colonial period was marred by a number of bitter conflicts between the colonists and the Khoisan, followed by the Xhosa, both of which they perceived as unwanted competitors for prime farmland. Dutch traders imported thousands of slaves to the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch East Indies and other parts of Africa. By the end of the eighteenth century the Cape 's population swelled to about 26,000 people of European descent and 30,000 slaves. British conquest Main article : Invasion of the Cape Colony ( 1795 ) In 1795, France occupied the Seven Provinces of the Netherlands, the mother country of the Dutch East India Company. This prompted Great Britain to occupy the territory in 1795 as a way to better control the seas in order to stop any potential French attempt to reach India. The British sent a fleet of nine warships which anchored at Simon 's Town and, following the defeat of the Dutch militia at the Battle of Muizenberg, took control of the territory. The Dutch East India Company transferred its territories and claims to the Batavian Republic ( the Revolutionary period Dutch state ) in 1798, and ceased to exist in 1799. Improving relations between Britain and Napoleonic France, and its vassal state the Batavian Republic, led the British to hand the Cape of Good Hope over to the Batavian Republic in 1803, under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens. Part of a series on Cape Colony history Pre-1806 1806 -- 1870 1870 -- 1899 1899 -- 1910 Map of the Cape of Good Hope in 1809. In 1806, the Cape, now nominally controlled by the Batavian Republic, was occupied again by the British after their victory in the Battle of Blaauwberg. The temporary peace between Britain and Napoleonic France had crumbled into open hostilities, whilst Napoleon had been strengthening his influence on the Batavian Republic ( which Napoleon would subsequently abolish later the same year ). The British, who set up a colony on 8 January 1806, hoped to keep Napoleon out of the Cape, and to control the Far East trade routes. In 1814 the Dutch government formally ceded sovereignty over the Cape to the British, under the terms of the Convention of London. British colonisation The British started to settle the eastern border of the colony, with the arrival in Port Elizabeth of the 1820 Settlers. They also began to introduce the first rudimentary rights for the Cape 's black African population and, in 1833, abolished slavery. The resentment that the Dutch farmers felt against this social change, as well as the imposition of English language and culture, caused them to trek inland en masse. This was known as the Great Trek, and the migrating Boers settled inland, forming the `` Boer republics '' of Transvaal and the Orange Free State. British immigration continued in the Cape, even as many of the Boers continued to trek inland, and the ending of the British East India Company 's monopoly on trade led to economic growth. At the same time, the long series of border wars fought against the Xhosa people of the Cape 's eastern frontier finally died down when the Xhosa partook in a mass destruction of their own crops and cattle, in the belief that this would cause their spirits to appear and defeat the whites. The resulting famine crippled Xhosa resistance and ushered in a long period of stability on the border. Peace and prosperity led to a desire for political independence. In 1853, the Cape Colony became a British Crown colony. In 1854, the Cape of Good Hope elected its first parliament, on the basis of the multi-racial Cape Qualified Franchise. Cape residents qualified as voters based on a universal minimum level of property ownership, regardless of race. The fact that executive power remained completely in the authority of the British governor did not relieve tensions in the colony between its eastern and western sections. Responsible government Map of the Cape of Good Hope in 1885 ( blue ) In 1872, after a long political battle, the Cape of Good Hope achieved `` Responsible Government '' under its first Prime Minister, John Molteno. Henceforth, an elected Prime Minister and his cabinet had total responsibility for the affairs of the country. A period of strong economic growth and social development ensued, and the eastern - western division was largely laid to rest. The system of multi-racial franchise also began a slow and fragile growth in political inclusiveness, and ethnic tensions subsided. In 1877, the state expanded by annexing Griqualand West and Griqualand East. However, the discovery of diamonds around Kimberley and gold in the Transvaal led to a return to instability, particularly because they fuelled the rise to power of the ambitious imperialist Cecil Rhodes. On becoming the Cape 's Prime Minister, he instigated a rapid expansion of British influence into the hinterland. In particular, he sought to engineer the conquest of the Transvaal, and although his ill - fated Jameson Raid failed and brought down his government, it led to the Second Boer War and British conquest at the turn of the century. The politics of the colony consequently came to be increasingly dominated by tensions between the British colonists and the Boers. Rhodes also brought in the first formal restrictions on the political rights of the Cape of Good Hope 's black African citizens. The Cape of Good Hope remained nominally under British rule until the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it became the Province of the Cape of Good Hope, better known as the Cape Province. Governors of the Cape of Good Hope ( 1797 -- 1910 ) British occupation ( 1st, 1797 -- 1804 ) George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney ( 1797 -- 1798 ) Francis Dundas ( 1st time ) ( acting ) ( 1798 -- 1799 ) Sir George Yonge ( 1799 -- 1801 ) Francis Dundas ( 2nd time ) ( acting ) ( 1801 -- 1803 ) Batavian Republic ( Dutch colony ) ( 1803 -- 1806 ) Jacob Abraham Uitenhage de Mist ( 1803 -- 1804 ) Jan Willem Janssens ( 1803 -- 1806 ) British occupation ( 2nd, 1806 -- 1814 ) Sir David Baird ( acting ) ( 1806 -- 1807 ) Henry George Grey ( 1st time ) ( acting ) ( 1807 ) Du Pre Alexander, 2nd Earl of Caledon ( 1807 -- 1811 ) Henry George Grey ( 2nd time ) ( acting ) ( 1811 ) Sir John Francis Cradock ( 1811 -- 1814 ) Hon. Robert Meade ( acting for Cradock ) ( 1813 -- 1814 ), ( son of Theodosia, Countess of Clanwilliam ), British colony ( 1814 -- 1910 ) Cape Governor Lord Charles Somerset Sir Henry Bartle Frere Lord Charles Somerset ( 1814 -- 1826 ) Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin ( acting for Somerset ) ( 1820 -- 1821 ) Sir Richard Bourke ( acting ) ( 1826 -- 1828 ) Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole ( 1828 -- 1833 ) Sir Thomas Francis Wade ( acting for D'Urban from 10 January 1834 ) ( 1833 -- 1834 ) Sir Benjamin d'Urban ( 1834 -- 1838 ) Sir George Thomas Napier ( 1838 -- 1844 ) Sir Peregrine Maitland ( 1844 -- 1847 ) Sir Henry Pottinger ( 1847 ) Sir Harry Smith ( Sir Henry George Wakelyn Smith ) ( 1847 -- 1852 ) Sir George Cathcart ( 1852 -- 1854 ) Sir Charles Henry Darling ( acting ) ( 1854 ) Sir George Grey ( 1854 -- 1861 ) Sir Robert Henry Wynyard ( 1st time ) ( acting for Grey ) ( 1859 -- 1860 ) Sir Robert Henry Wynyard ( 2nd time ) ( acting ) ( 1861 -- 1862 ) Sir Philip Edmond Wodehouse ( 1862 -- 1870 ) Charles Craufurd Hay ( acting ) ( 1870 ) Sir Henry Barkly ( 1870 -- 1877 ) Henry Bartle Frere ( 1877 -- 1880 ) Henry Hugh Clifford ( acting ) ( 1880 ) Sir George Cumine Strahan ( acting ) ( 1880 -- 1881 ) Hercules Robinson ( 1st time ) ( 1881 -- 1889 ) Sir Leicester Smyth ( 1st time ) ( acting for Robinson ) ( 1881 ) Sir Leicester Smyth ( 2nd time ) ( acting for Robinson ) ( 1883 -- 1884 ) Sir Henry D'Oyley Torrens ( acting for Robinson ) ( 1886 ) Henry Augustus Smyth ( acting ) ( 1889 ) Henry Brougham Loch ( 1889 -- 1895 ) Sir William Gordon Cameron ( 1st time ) ( acting for Loch ) ( 1891 -- 1892 ) Sir William Gordon Cameron ( 2nd time ) ( acting for Loch ) ( 1894 ) Hercules Robinson ( 2nd time ) ( 1895 -- 1897 ) Sir William Howley Goodenough ( acting ) ( 1897 ) Sir Alfred Milner ( 1897 -- 1901 ) Sir William Francis Butler ( acting for Milner ) ( 1898 -- 1899 ) Sir Walter Hely - Hutchinson ( 1901 -- 1910 ) Sir Henry Jenner Scobell ( acting for Hely - Hutchinson ) ( 1909 ) The post of High Commissioner for Southern Africa was also held from 27 January 1847 to 6 March 1901 by the Governor of the Cape of Good Hope. The post of Governor of the Cape of Good Hope became extinct on 31 May 1910, when it joined the Union of South Africa. Prime ministers of the Cape of Good Hope ( 1872 -- 1910 ) Sir John Charles Molteno, first Prime Minister of the Cape Prime Minister Cecil John Rhodes No. Name Party Assumed office Left office Sir John Charles Molteno Independent 1 December 1872 5 February 1878 Sir John Gordon Sprigg Independent 6 February 1878 8 May 1881 Thomas Charles Scanlen Independent 9 May 1881 12 May 1884 Thomas Upington Independent 13 May 1884 24 November 1886 -- Sir John Gordon Sprigg ( 2nd time ) Independent 25 November 1886 16 July 1890 5 Cecil John Rhodes Independent 17 July 1890 3 May 1893 -- Cecil John Rhodes ( 2nd time ) Independent 4 May 1893 12 January 1896 -- Sir John Gordon Sprigg ( 3rd time ) Independent 13 January 1896 13 October 1898 6 William Philip Schreiner Independent 13 October 1898 17 June 1900 -- Sir John Gordon Sprigg ( 4th time ) Progressive Party 18 June 1900 21 February 1904 7 Leander Starr Jameson Progressive Party 22 February 1904 2 February 1908 8 John Xavier Merriman South African Party 3 February 1908 31 May 1910 The post of prime minister of the Cape of Good Hope also became extinct on 31 May 1910, when it joined the Union of South Africa. Demographics 1904 Census Population Figures for the 1904 Census. Source : Population group Number Percent ( % ) Black 1,424,787 59.12 White 579,741 24.05 Coloured 395,034 16.39 Asian 10,242 0.42 Total 2,409,804 100.00 See also Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope Cape Colonial Forces Cape Government Railways Cape Qualified Franchise References Jump up ^ Alexander Wilmot ; John Centlivres Chase ( 1869 ). History of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope : From Its Discovery to the Year 1819. J.C. Juta. pp. 268 --. Retrieved 10 September 2013. Jump up ^ `` Census of the colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 1865 ''. HathiTrust Digital Library. p. 11. Retrieved 26 December 2013. Jump up ^ `` Lesotho : History ''. The Commonwealth. Retrieved 8 November 2017. Jump up ^ J.A. Heese, Die Herkoms van die Afrikaner 1657 - 1867. A.A. Balkema, Kaapstad, 1971. CD Colin Pretorius 2013. ISBN 978 - 1 - 920429 - 13 - 3. Bladsy 15. Jump up ^ Statemans Year Book, 1920, section on Cape Province ^ Jump up to : Hunt, John ( 2005 ). Campbell, Heather - Ann, ed. Dutch South Africa : Early Settlers at the Cape, 1652 - 1708. Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 13 -- 35. ISBN 978 - 1904744955. Jump up ^ Parthesius, Robert. Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters : The Development of the Dutch East India Company ( VOC ) Shipping Network in Asia 1595 - 1660. Amsterdam : Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978 - 9053565179. Jump up ^ Lucas, Gavin ( 2004 ). An Archaeology of Colonial Identity : Power and Material Culture in the Dwars Valley, South Africa. New York : Springer, Publishers. pp. 29 -- 33. ISBN 978 - 0306485381. Jump up ^ Worden, Nigel. Slavery in Dutch South Africa ( 2010 ed. ). Cambridge University Press. pp. 94 -- 140. ISBN 978 - 0521152662. Jump up ^ Lambert, David ( 2009 ). The Protestant International and the Huguenot Migration to Virginia. New York : Peter Land Publishing, Incorporated. pp. 32 -- 34. ISBN 978 - 1433107597. Jump up ^ Mbenga, Bernard ; Giliomee, Hermann ( 2007 ). New History of South Africa. Cape Town : Tafelburg, Publishers. pp. 59 -- 60. ISBN 978 - 0624043591. Jump up ^ Ward, Kerry ( 2009 ). Networks of Empire : Forced Migration in the Dutch East India Company. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. pp. 322 -- 342. ISBN 978 - 0 - 521 - 88586 - 7. Jump up ^ Greaves, Adrian. The Tribe that Washed its Spears : The Zulus at War ( 2013 ed. ). Barnsley : Pen & Sword Military. pp. 36 -- 55. ISBN 978 - 1629145136. ^ Jump up to : Stapleton, Timothy ( 2010 ). A Military History of South Africa : From the Dutch - Khoi Wars to the End of Apartheid. Santa Barbara : Praeger Security International. pp. 4 -- 6. ISBN 978 - 0313365898. Jump up ^ Worden, Nigel. Slavery in Dutch South Africa ( 2010 ed. ). Cambridge University Press. pp. 40 -- 43. ISBN 978 - 0521152662. Jump up ^ Lloyd, Trevor Owen ( 1997 ). The British Empire, 1558 - 1995. Oxford : Oxford University Press. pp. 201 -- 206. ISBN 978 - 0198731337. Jump up ^ Entry : Cape Colony. Encyclopedia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2 : Brain to Casting. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1933. James Louis Garvin, editor. Jump up ^ The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World. Italy : Kingfisher. 1993. p. 576. ISBN 9780862729530. Jump up ^ Illustrated History of South Africa. The Reader 's Digest Association South Africa ( Pty ) Ltd, 1992. ISBN 0 - 947008 - 90 - X. Jump up ^ Parsons, Neil, A New History of Southern Africa, Second Edition. Macmillan, London ( 1993 ) Jump up ^ John Dugard : International Law, A South African Perspective. Cape Town. 2006. p. 136. Jump up ^ Ziegler, Philip ( 2008 ). Legacy : Cecil Rhodes, the Rhodes Trust and Rhodes Scholarships. Yale : Yale University Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 300 - 11835 - 3. Jump up ^ Smuts I : The Sanguine Years 1870 -- 1919, W.K. Hancock, Cambridge University Press, 1962, pg 219 Sources Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Cape Colony. Beck, Roger B. ( 2000 ). The History of South Africa. Westport, CT : Greenwood. ISBN 0 - 313 - 30730 - X. Davenport, T.R.H., and Christopher Saunders ( 2000 ). South Africa : A Modern History, 5th ed. New York : St. Martin 's Press. ISBN 0 - 312 - 23376 - 0. Elbourne, Elizabeth ( 2002 ). Blood Ground : Colonialism, Missions, and the Contest for Christianity in the Cape Colony and Britain, 1799 -- 1853. McGill - Queen 's University Press. ISBN 0 - 7735 - 2229 - 8. Le Cordeur, Basil Alexander ( 1981 ). The War of the Axe, 1847 : Correspondence between the governor of the Cape Colony, Sir Henry Pottinger, and the commander of the British forces at the Cape, Sire George Berkeley, and others. Brenthurst Press. ISBN 0 - 909079 - 14 - 5. Mabin, Alan ( 1983 ). Recession and its aftermath : The Cape Colony in the eighteen eighties. University of the Witwatersrand, African Studies Institute. Ross, Robert, and David Anderson ( 1999 ). Status and Respectability in the Cape Colony, 1750 -- 1870 : A Tragedy of Manners. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 - 521 - 62122 - 4. Theal, George McCall ( 1970 ). History of the Boers in South Africa ; Or, the Wanderings and Wars of the Emigrant Farmers from Their Leaving the Cape Colony to the Acknowledgment of Their Independence by Great Britain. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0 - 8371 - 1661 - 9. Van Der Merwe, P.J., Roger B. Beck ( 1995 ). The Migrant Farmer in the History of the Cape Colony. Ohio University Press. ISBN 0 - 8214 - 1090 - 3. Worden, Nigel, Elizabeth van Heyningen, and Vivian Bickford - Smith ( 1998 ). Cape Town : The Making of a City. Cape Town : David Philip. ISBN 0 - 86486 - 435 - 3. Cape Colony. Other South African Governments Kingdoms Colonies Boer States Bantustans National Kingdom of Mapungubwe ( c. 1075 -- c. 1220 ) Mthethwa Paramountcy ( c. 1780 -- 1817 ) Ndwandwe Kingdom ( c. 1780 -- 1819 ) Zulu Kingdom ( 1816 -- 97 ) Dutch Cape Colony ( 1652 -- 1806 ) Cape Colony ( 1795 -- 1910 ) Natal Colony ( 1843 -- 1910 ) Orange River Colony ( 1902 -- 10 ) Transvaal Colony ( 1902 -- 10 ) Natalia Republic ( 1839 -- 43 ) Orange Free State ( 1854 -- 1902 ) Griqualand East ( 1861 -- 79 ) Griqualand West ( 1870 -- 73 ) Goshen ( 1882 -- 83 ) Stellaland ( 1882 -- 85 ) Nieuwe Republiek ( 1884 -- 88 ) Upingtonia ( 1885 -- 87 ) Klein Vrystaat ( 1886 -- 91 ) Gazankulu ( 1971 -- 94 ) Lebowa ( 1972 -- 94 ) QwaQwa ( 1974 -- 94 ) Transkei ( 1976 -- 94 ) Bophuthatswana ( 1977 -- 94 ) Venda ( 1979 -- 94 ) Ciskei ( 1981 -- 94 ) KaNgwane ( 1981 -- 94 ) KwaNdebele ( 1981 -- 94 ) KwaZulu ( 1981 -- 94 ) Cape Qualified Franchise ( 1853 -- 1910 ) South African Republic ( 1856 -- 1902 ) Union of South Africa ( 1910 -- 61 ) Republic of South Africa ( 1961 -- Present ) Current Government British Empire Legend Current territory Former territory * Now a Commonwealth realm Now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations Historical flags of the British Empire Europe 1542 -- 1800 Ireland ( integrated into UK ) 1708 -- 1757, 1763 -- 1782 and 1798 -- 1802 Minorca Since 1713 Gibraltar 1800 -- 1813 Malta ( Protectorate ) 1813 -- 1964 Malta ( Colony ) 1807 -- 1890 Heligoland 1809 -- 1864 Ionian Islands 1878 -- 1960 Cyprus 1921 -- 1937 Irish Free State North America 17th century and before 18th century 19th and 20th century 1579 New Albion 1583 -- 1907 Newfoundland 1605 -- 1979 * Saint Lucia 1607 -- 1776 Virginia Since 1619 Bermuda 1620 -- 1691 Plymouth 1623 -- 1883 Saint Kitts 1624 -- 1966 * Barbados 1625 -- 1650 Saint Croix 1627 -- 1979 * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1628 -- 1883 Nevis 1629 -- 1691 Massachusetts Bay 1632 -- 1776 Maryland since 1632 Montserrat 1632 -- 1860 Antigua 1635 -- 1644 Saybrook 1636 -- 1776 Connecticut 1636 -- 1776 Rhode Island 1637 -- 1662 New Haven 1643 -- 1860 Bay Islands Since 1650 Anguilla 1655 -- 1850 Mosquito Coast 1655 -- 1962 * Jamaica 1663 -- 1712 Carolina 1664 -- 1776 New York 1665 -- 1674 and 1702 -- 1776 New Jersey Since 1666 Virgin Islands Since 1670 Cayman Islands 1670 -- 1973 * Bahamas 1670 -- 1870 Rupert 's Land 1671 -- 1816 Leeward Islands 1674 -- 1702 East Jersey 1674 -- 1702 West Jersey 1680 -- 1776 New Hampshire 1681 -- 1776 Pennsylvania 1686 -- 1689 New England 1691 -- 1776 Massachusetts Bay 1701 -- 1776 Delaware 1712 -- 1776 North Carolina 1712 -- 1776 South Carolina 1713 -- 1867 Nova Scotia 1733 -- 1776 Georgia 1754 -- 1820 Cape Breton Island 1762 -- 1974 * Grenada 1763 -- 1978 Dominica 1763 -- 1873 Prince Edward Island 1763 -- 1791 Quebec 1763 -- 1783 East Florida 1763 -- 1783 West Florida 1784 -- 1867 New Brunswick 1791 -- 1841 Lower Canada 1791 -- 1841 Upper Canada Since 1799 Turks and Caicos Islands 1818 -- 1846 Columbia District / Oregon Country 1833 -- 1960 Windward Islands 1833 -- 1960 Leeward Islands 1841 -- 1867 Canada 1849 -- 1866 Vancouver Island 1853 -- 1863 Queen Charlotte Islands 1858 -- 1866 British Columbia 1859 -- 1870 North - Western Territory 1860 -- 1981 * British Antigua and Barbuda 1862 -- 1863 Stickeen 1866 -- 1871 British Columbia 1867 -- 1931 * Dominion of Canada 1871 -- 1964 Honduras 1882 -- 1983 * Saint Kitts and Nevis 1889 -- 1962 Trinidad and Tobago 1907 -- 1949 Newfoundland 1958 -- 1962 West Indies Federation 1. Occupied jointly with the United States. 2. In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self - government through the Statute of Westminster. See Name of Canada. 3. Gave up self - rule in 1934, but remained a de jure Dominion until it joined Canada in 1949. South America 1631 -- 1641 Providence Island 1651 -- 1667 Willoughbyland 1670 -- 1688 Saint Andrew and Providence Islands 1831 -- 1966 Guiana Since 1833 Falkland Islands Since 1908 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 4. Now a department of Colombia. 5. Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April -- June 1982. Africa 17th and 18th centuries 19th century 20th century Since 1658 Saint Helena 1792 -- 1961 Sierra Leone 1795 -- 1803 Cape Colony Since 1815 Ascension Island Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha 1806 -- 1910 Cape of Good Hope 1807 -- 1808 Madeira 1810 -- 1968 Mauritius 1816 -- 1965 The Gambia 1856 -- 1910 Natal 1862 -- 1906 Lagos 1868 -- 1966 Basutoland 1874 -- 1957 Gold Coast 1882 -- 1922 Egypt 1884 -- 1900 Niger Coast 1884 -- 1966 Bechuanaland 1884 -- 1960 Somaliland 1887 -- 1897 Zululand 1890 -- 1962 Uganda 1890 -- 1963 Zanzibar 1891 -- 1964 Nyasaland 1891 -- 1907 Central Africa 1893 -- 1968 Swaziland 1895 -- 1920 East Africa 1899 -- 1956 Sudan 1900 -- 1914 Northern Nigeria 1900 -- 1914 Southern Nigeria 1900 -- 1910 Orange River 1900 -- 1910 Transvaal 1903 -- 1976 Seychelles 1910 -- 1931 South Africa 1914 -- 1960 Nigeria 1915 -- 1931 South - West Africa 1919 -- 1961 Cameroons 1920 -- 1963 Kenya 1922 -- 1961 Tanganyika 1923 -- 1965 and 1979 -- 1980 Southern Rhodesia 1924 -- 1964 Northern Rhodesia 6. League of Nations mandate. 7. Self - governing Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in 1965 ( as Rhodesia ) and continued as an unrecognised state until the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement. After recognised independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was a member of the Commonwealth until it withdrew in 2003. Asia 17th and 18th century 19th century 20th century 1685 -- 1824 Bencoolen 1702 -- 1705 Pulo Condore 1757 -- 1947 Bengal 1762 -- 1764 Manila and Cavite 1781 -- 1784 and 1795 -- 1819 Padang 1786 -- 1946 Penang 1795 -- 1948 Ceylon 1796 -- 1965 Maldives 1811 -- 1816 Java 1812 -- 1824 Banka and Billiton 1819 -- 1826 Malaya 1824 -- 1948 Burma 1826 -- 1946 Straits Settlements 1839 -- 1967 Aden 1839 -- 1842 Afghanistan 1841 -- 1997 Hong Kong 1841 -- 1946 Sarawak 1848 -- 1946 Labuan 1858 -- 1947 India 1874 -- 1963 Borneo 1879 -- 1919 Afghanistan ( protectorate ) 1882 -- 1963 North Borneo 1885 -- 1946 Unfederated Malay States 1888 -- 1984 Brunei 1891 -- 1971 Muscat and Oman 1892 -- 1971 Trucial States 1895 -- 1946 Federated Malay States 1898 -- 1930 Weihai 1878 -- 1960 Cyprus 1907 -- 1949 Bhutan ( protectorate ) 1918 -- 1961 Kuwait 1920 -- 1932 Mesopotamia 1921 -- 1946 Transjordan 1923 -- 1948 Palestine 1945 -- 1946 South Vietnam 1946 -- 1963 North Borneo 1946 -- 1963 Sarawak 1946 -- 1963 Singapore 1946 -- 1948 Malayan Union 1948 -- 1957 Federation of Malaya Since 1960 Akrotiri and Dhekelia ( before as part of Cyprus ) Since 1965 British Indian Ocean Territory ( before as part of Mauritius and the Seychelles ) League of Nations mandate. Iraq 's mandate was not enacted and replaced by the Anglo - Iraqi Treaty Oceania 18th and 19th centuries 20th century 1788 -- 1901 New South Wales 1803 -- 1901 Van Diemen 's Land / Tasmania 1807 -- 1863 Auckland Islands 1824 -- 1980 New Hebrides 1824 -- 1901 Queensland 1829 -- 1901 Swan River / Western Australia 1836 -- 1901 South Australia since 1838 Pitcairn Islands 1841 -- 1907 New Zealand 1851 -- 1901 Victoria 1874 -- 1970 Fiji 1877 -- 1976 Western Pacific Territories 1884 -- 1949 Papua 1888 -- 1901 Rarotonga / Cook Islands 1889 -- 1948 Union Islands 1892 -- 1979 Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1893 -- 1978 Solomon Islands 1900 -- 1970 Tonga 1900 -- 1974 Niue 1901 -- 1942 * Australia 1907 -- 1947 * New Zealand 1919 -- 1942 and 1945 -- 1968 Nauru 1919 -- 1949 New Guinea 1949 -- 1975 Papua and New Guinea 9. Now part of the * Realm of New Zealand. 10. Suspended member. 11. Now Kiribati and * Tuvalu. 12. Now the * Solomon Islands. 13. Now * Papua New Guinea. Antarctica and South Atlantic Since 1658 Saint Helena Since 1815 Ascension Island Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha Since 1908 British Antarctic Territory 1841 -- 1933 Australian Antarctic Territory ( transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia ) 1841 -- 1947 Ross Dependency ( transferred to the Realm of New Zealand ) 14. Since 2009 part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ; Ascension Island ( 1922 -- ) and Tristan da Cunha ( 1938 -- ) were previously dependencies of Saint Helena. 15. Both claimed in 1908 ; territories formed in 1962 ( British Antarctic Territory ) and 1985 ( South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ). Political history of South Africa Defunct polities Kingdom of Mapungubwe ( c. 1075 -- c. 1220 ) Dutch Cape Colony ( 1652 -- 1806 ) Mthethwa Paramountcy ( c. 1780 -- 1817 ) Ndwandwe Kingdom ( c. 1780 -- 1819 ) Cape Colony ( 1795 -- 1910 ) Zulu Kingdom ( 1816 -- 97 ) Natalia Republic ( 1839 -- 43 ) Natal Colony ( 1843 -- 1910 ) Orange Free State ( 1854 -- 1902 ) South African Republic ( 1856 -- 1902 ) Griqualand East ( 1861 -- 79 ) Griqualand West ( 1870 -- 73 ) Goshen ( 1882 -- 83 ) Stellaland ( 1882 -- 85 ) Nieuwe Republiek ( 1884 -- 88 ) Upingtonia ( 1885 -- 87 ) Klein Vrystaat ( 1886 -- 91 ) Orange River Colony ( 1902 -- 10 ) Transvaal Colony ( 1902 -- 10 ) Union of South Africa ( 1910 -- 61 ) Transkei ( 1976 -- 94 ) Bophuthatswana ( 1977 -- 94 ) Venda ( 1979 -- 94 ) Ciskei ( 1981 -- 94 ) Events 1652 -- 1815 Dutch settlement French Huguenot settlement Khoikhoi -- Dutch Wars Xhosa Wars Battle of Muizenberg Battle of Blaauwberg Anglo - Dutch Treaty of 1814 1815 -- 1910 Mfecane 1820 Settlers Great Trek Boer Republics Transvaal Civil War Mineral Revolution Witwatersrand Gold Rush South African Wars South Africa Act 1909 1910 -- 1948 Maritz Rebellion Rand Rebellion Great Depression 1946 African Mine Workers ' Union strike Bantustans Apartheid era 1948 general election Apartheid legislation Pass laws Internal resistance Coloured - vote constitutional crisis Defiance Campaign Congress of the People Freedom Charter Women 's March 1956 1957 Alexandra bus boycott Sharpeville massacre 1960 republic referendum International isolation Academic boycott Disinvestment Sporting boycott Olympics Rugby union Rivonia Trial Tar Baby Option Durban Moment Border War Israeli alliance Israel -- South Africa Agreement Soweto Uprising Weapons of mass destruction Project Coast Constructive engagement Church Street bombing 1983 constitutional reform referendum Langa massacre Rubicon speech Dakar Conference Third Force CODESA 1992 apartheid referendum Saint James Church massacre Bophuthatswana crisis Shell House massacre Post-apartheid 1994 general election Government of National Unity Reconstruction and Development Programme Truth and Reconciliation Commission Arms Deal Floor crossing Soweto bombings African Renaissance Xenophobia Marikana massacre 2012 Western Cape farm workers ' strike Nkandlagate 2014 platinum strike # RhodesMustFall protests # FeesMustFall student protests Tshwane riots Political culture African nationalism Afrikaner Calvinism Afrikaner nationalism Azania Baasskap Boerehaat Black Consciousness Movement Day of the Vow Greater South Africa Honorary whites Rooi gevaar Slavery Swart gevaar Uitlander Volkstaat Defunct organisations Civic and political organisations Afrikaner Bond Afrikaner Broederbond Afrikaner Party AITUP APO AVF BPC Black Sash CDA CTEG COD Congress Alliance COSG CP Dominion Party DP ( 1973 -- 1977 ) DP ( 1989 -- 2000 ) DPP ECC FA FD Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners GNP Het Volk HNP IDASA ID IP ISL Jeugkrag Johannesburg Reform Committee Labour Party ( 1910 -- 1958 ) Labour Party ( 1969 -- 1994 ) Liberal Party ( 1953 -- 1968 ) NA NCP Natal Indian Congress NLP NNP NP NPP NRP NUSAS PFP Progressive Party ( Cape Colony ) Progressive Party PRP Radio Freedom Reform Party SABP SADECO SAIC SASO SAYCO SAYRCO South African Party ( Cape Colony ) South African Party ( 1911 -- 1934 ) South African Party ( 1977 -- 1980 ) TNIP Torch Commando UFP United Party Unionist Party Volksparty Workers Party WOSA Trade unions and social movements APF BCM BLATU CNETU CTSWU FCWU FNETU FOSATU ICU IWW MUSA NEUM NURHS PAWE SAAPAWU SACTU SAIF SARHU SATUC Die Spoorbund UDF Umkosi Wezintaba Paramilitary and terrorist organisations APLA ARM BBB Boeremag Greyshirts MK Ossewabrandwag Orde van die Dood SANF Histories of political parties African National Congress Democratic Alliance Pan Africanist Congress of Azania Governors, Civil Commissioners and Administrators of British dependencies Overseas territories Governor of Anguilla Governor of Bermuda Commissioner for the British Antarctic Territory Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory Governor of the Virgin Islands Governor of the Cayman Islands Governor of the Falkland Islands Governor of Gibraltar Governor of Montserrat Governor of Pitcairn Administrator of the Pitcairn Islands Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Governor of Saint Helena Governor of Ascension Administrator of Ascension Governor of Tristan da Cunha Administrator of Tristan da Cunha Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands Crown dependencies Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man Lieutenant Governor of Jersey Former ( Africa ) Governor of British Mauritius Governor of British Cameroons Governor of Cape Colony Governor of the Gambia Governor of Gold Coast Lieutenant Governor of Griqualand West Governor of Kenya Governor of Lagos Colony Governor - General of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Governor of Northern Rhodesia Governor of Nyasaland Governor of Southern Rhodesia Governor of Natal Governor of Nigeria Governor of Senegal Governor of the Seychelles Governor of Sierra Leone Governor - General of the Union of South Africa High Commissioner for Southern Africa Governor of British Somaliland Governors of Tanganyika Governor of Uganda Resident in Zanzibar Former ( Americas ) Governor of the Bahamas Governor of Barbados Lieutenant Governor of Grenada Lieutenant - Governor of Berbice Governor of British Guiana Governor of British Honduras Governor of Cuba Governor of Dominica Lieutenant - Governor of Demerara - Essequibo Governor of Grenada Governor of Jamaica Governor of the Leeward Islands Governor of St. Lucia Governor of St. Vincent Governor of Trinidad and Tobago Lieutenant governors of Tobago Governor of Trinidad Governor of Newfoundland Governor General of Canada Governor of British Columbia Governor of New Brunswick Governor of Nova Scotia Governor of Prince Edward Island Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Governor of Saint Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla Governor - in - Chief of the Windward Islands Governor - General of the West Indies Federation Colonial Governors of Connecticut Colonial governors of Delaware Colonial Governors of Florida Colonial Governors of Georgia Colonial Governors of Maryland Colonial Governors of Massachusetts Colonial Governors of New Hampshire Colonial Governors of New Jersey Colonial Governor of New York Colonial Governors of North Carolina Colonial Governors of Pennsylvania Colonial Governors of Rhode Island Colonial Governors of South Carolina Colonial Governors of Virginia Former ( Asia ) Governor of Aden Governor of Burma Governor of Ceylon High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States Senior British representatives in the constituent protected states Senior British representatives in the neighbouring Malayan protected states General Adviser to the Government of Johore Adviser to the Sultan of Kedah Adviser to the Government of Kelantan Adviser to the Government of Perlis Adviser, Trengganu Governor of Hong Kong Viceroy and Governor - General of India Heads of the provinces of British India Governor of Aden Governor of Bengal Governor of Bombay Governor of Madras Governor of Sind Senior British representatives in neighbouring protected states Resident of Gwalior High Commissioner for Iraq Governor of Labuan High Commissioner for Malaya Governor of the Malayan Union Governor of North Borneo Resident Minister in Nepal High Commissioners for Palestine and Transjordan Governor of Penang Governor of Sarawak Governor of Singapore Former ( Australasia ) Governor - General of Australia Government Resident of Central Australia Governor of New South Wales Government Resident of North Australia Governor of Queensland Governor of South Australia Governor of Tasmania Governor of Victoria Governor of Western Australia Lieutenant Governor of the Swan River Colony Governor - General of New Zealand Governor - General of Papua New Guinea Consul in Tonga Former ( Europe ) Governor of Cyprus Lieutenant Governor of Heligoland High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands Governor of the Isle of Wight Governor of Malta Governor of Minorca Governor of Northern Ireland Former ( Oceania ) Governor of Fiji Governor of the Solomon Islands High Commissioner for the Western Pacific Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_Colony&oldid=831589138 '' Categories : Former countries in Africa Former British colonies States and territories established in 1795 States and territories disestablished in 1910 Cape Colony Former British colonies and protectorates in Africa History of South Africa States and territories disestablished in 1802 States and territories established in 1806 1795 establishments in Africa 1910 disestablishments in Africa Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from January 2018 All articles needing additional references Use dmy dates from November 2015 EngvarB from August 2014 Articles containing Dutch - language text Former country articles requiring maintenance Pages using infobox former country with unknown parameters All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Afrikaans Asturianu تۆرکجه Català Dansk Deutsch Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge 한국어 हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Kiswahili Lietuvių Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog Türkçe Українська 中文 30 more Edit links This page was last edited on 21 March 2018, at 09 : 42. 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Question: when did the british take over cape colony
Answer: 1795