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Archive: June 2018 (1 Post)

Map of Boer Republics in relation to neighboring colonial possessions.

The Rise and Fall of the Orange Free State and Transvaal in Southern Africa

Posted by: Ryan Moore

The Orange Free State and the Transvaal (officially the South African Republic) were independent countries in southern Africa in the 19th century established largely by Dutch/Afrikaans-speaking settlers known as the Boers (Boer translates to “farmer” in Dutch). Occupying areas in what is today South Africa, the Boers of the 19th century were pastoral and religiously-oriented, …