Union of South Africa

The Union of South Africa is the country that came before the current Republic of South Africa. It was formed on May 31st, 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. After 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 like another province. It was a Commonwealth realm, which means that it was a constitutional monarchy with the British monarch (king or queen) as the head of state.

Union of South Africa Unie van Suid-Afrika Unie van Zuid-Afrika
1910–1961
Flag 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).
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
• 1952-1961	Elizabeth II
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
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Assembly
History
• Union	31 May 1910
• Statute of Westminster	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 ended 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". The South Africa's membership of the Commonwealth of Nations also ended, when it became a republic.