The first living inhabitants of South Africa existed more than 10,000 years back. During the 19th century, gold and diamonds were discovered, pushing the country away from being centrally agrarian, making it more industrial. The Boers and Britain were then fighting over who would go on to control this mining industry. After the South African War, which culminated in the defeat of the Boers, the British created the Union of South Africa and made it one concrete whole, instead of the separate entities/colonies it once was. In 1934, South Africa became self-governing. South Africa eventually became a Republic in 1960.