Rhodesia

The Federation of Rhodesia, Nyasaland and Botswana, also known as the Rhodesia or the Central African Federation, is the a country in Southern Africa. It is bounded on the west by the Angola and Namibia, on the north by the neighboring countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania, on the east by Zambezi and Mozambique, and to the south by South Africa. Rhodesia has a population of roughly 47 million. About 93 percent of Rhodesian's are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages. The remaining population consists of Africa's second largest communities of European (white), and Coloured. Rhodesia is a multiethnic society encompassing a wide variety of cultures, languages, and religions. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the constitution. The national language of the country is English and uses the language for business, diplomatic, and educational uses. A vast majority of the population speaks English as either a first or a second language.

The area of Africa now known as Rhodesia was settled by migrating Bantu groups around the 10th century. Centuries later in late 19th century the area was colonised by the British. In 1953 North Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland, became a part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, a semi-independent Federation. Bechuanaland was added to the federation in 1956. Due to external and internal pressure, the United Kingdom held a referendum within the Federation for the colonies to become an independent Federation or to become independent countries. An overwhelming majority voted to continue with the federation, a campaign led by Sir Sereste Khama. Khama was rebuked by South Africa because of his British wife, however led negotiations in London for the new Constitution for the Federation, and became the countries first president. The Federation became independent within the Commonwealth on 24 August 1962. Since then, it has maintained a strong tradition of stable representative democracy, with a consistent record of uninterrupted democratic elections.

Rhodesia is a a large country of over 47 million people. Formerly one of the poorest countries in the world—with a GDP per capita of about US$150 per year in the late 1960s—Rhodesia has since transformed itself into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The economy is dominated by mining, cattle, finance, manufacturing, and tourism. Rhodesia boasts a GDP (purchasing power parity) per capita of about $14,833 per year as of 2017, which is one of the highest in Africa. Its high gross national income (by some estimates the fourth-largest in Africa) gives the country a modest standard of living and the highest Human Development Index of continental Sub-Saharan Africa, being the first country to achieve a high HDI in 2017.

Rhodesia is a member of United Nations, African Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Southern African Development Community. The World Bank classifies Rhodesia as an upper-middle-income economy, and classified it as a newly industrialised country in 2016. Its economy is the third-largest in Africa. Rhodesia is referred to as one of the most developed countries in Africa due to it's high quality infrastructure system and relatively wealthy cities. Rhodesia has been able to eliminate most internal poverty through several programs such as the Rhodesian Housing Service. Nevertheless, slums still can be found in Lusaka and Salisbury as migrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and other countries move to Rhodesia for economic opportunities. Rhodesia has been identified as a middle power in international affairs, and maintains significant regional influence.