White Africans of European ancestry

White Africans
africano branco
witte afrikaners
africain blanc
africano blanco
africano bianco

File:David Bateson.jpg David Bateson • Charlize Theron • Mark Shuttleworth • Richard Dawkins
Total population
5,116,400 - 7,360,400 (all countries below added up in highest and lowest figure; Figures do not include Europeans living in European provinces or dependencies) (Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, Madeira, Réunion, Saint Helena)
Regions with significant populations
South Africa	4,360,000 - 5,687,000 (9-13%)
Namibia	124,000 - 250,000 (5-12%)
Madagascar	120,000 - 200,000 (0.57%-1%)
Mozambique	>30,000 (0.15%)
Angola	7,000-120,000 (>0.5-1%)
Kenya	30,000-62,000 (0.1-0.2%)
Swaziland	33,000 (3%)
Zambia	8,000-120,000
Mauritius	12,000
Zimbabwe	20,000 - 40,000 (<1%)
Senegal	50,000 (0.45%)
Botswana	7,000 - 50,000
Equatorial Guinea	1,000 - 16,000
All other areas	10,000 - 20,000
Languages
Afrikaans, English, Portuguese, French, German, Spanish, and other Indo-European languages (Kabyle, Arabic and others if north Africans are counted as 'white')
Religion
Predominantly Christian; very small minorities practicing Judaism or no religion
Related ethnic groups
Dutch, British, Irish, French, Portuguese, Germans, Jews, White Americans, New Zealand Europeans, White Latin Americans, European Australians

White Africans are the white population of Africa, that are also known as European Africans or Africans of European Descent. These individuals are mostly of Dutch, British, French, Portuguese, German, and to a lesser extent Italian, Spanish, Austrian, Scandinavian, Greek, Lithuanian, Belgian, Swiss, and Irish ancestry. Prior to the decolonization movements of the post-World War II era, Whites numbered up to 10 million persons and were represented in every part of Africa, especially South Africa, Algeria, and Rhodesia. However, many left during and after the indigenous independence movements. Nevertheless, White Africans remain an important minority in many African states, with white percentages sometimes reaching above 3% (such as in many Southern African Countries). The African country with the largest White African population is South Africa, at approximately 5.2 million (11% of the population). Although Whites no longer rule various African nations, many have remained as permanent residents and often hold a substantial ownership of the economy and land in specific regions or countries. At most about 0.78% of Africa's population, or 7.5 million out of 973.5 million, is white of European descent.

The Afrikaans/Dutch in Africa

South Africa

Further information: Afrikaner and Boer

Romanticised painting of an account of the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck, founder of Cape Town, and the first white settler in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Dutch settlement, under the Dutch East India Company, began in the Cape of Good Hope (present-day Cape Town) in southern Africa in 1652, making it the oldest European-based culture in Sub-Saharan Africa. By the late nineteenth century, the descendants of the Dutch (known as Afrikaners) had crossed the Limpopo river into Mashonaland, now part of Zimbabwe. Their numbers increased during Apartheid due to mass migration and an above replacement fertility rate, and soon numbered beyond 2 million. This made them the biggest ever white ethnic group on the African continent. It should be noted however, that almost all Dutch people in Africa have been classified as Afrikaners to the modern day.

White South Africans by Province

Afrikaners are located in all parts of the nation; except the south-east, and therefore are often noted as being the most scattered ethnic group in the whole nation. English Speaking whites are very limited to KwaZulu-Natal, Johannesburg and Cape Town, with large minorities never leaving these areas. Other white groups (such as Portuguese and Germans) live mostly in Johannesburg.

Gauteng

Gauteng boasts the province with both the highest percentage (~20%) and number of white people compared to any of the other provinces. It is well known that the Afrikaners and English speaking whites have both unusually had an equal share of the white population, with there often being a small sense of jealous rivalry between the two groups, especially during apartheid. Currently, the Afrikaans population is greater due to their higher birth rates and smaller emigration rates than that of the English whites. However, even in Gauteng, the white groups are somewhat 'located' in different parts of the Province, much like the situation in Brazil. They are more scattered compared to the English and can be found in practically all sections of the province, but are very predominant in and around Pretoria, the East and West Rand, and in many other large cities.

Western Cape

Helen Zille, the Premier of the Western Cape, is a White African of German decent.

The Western Cape has the second highest percentage of white people (18%) in South Africa, and the only one with a White premier (governer). The province, especially Cape Town, has a large English speaking population as well. The English language in the Western Cape is strong due to the large coloured population (rare since most coloured people speak Afrikaans) speaking English.

Free State

The Afrikaners have always had dominance in the Free State (formerly called the Orange Free State), because English immigration to the region was very limited. They are predominant in practically all cities, and in many farms. The Afrikaans population is greatest around Bloemfontein.

KwaZulu-Natal

Being the only English dominated province in the nation, Natal (now renamed KwaZulu-Natal) is an English stronghold, and if further strengthened by the 8% Asians, who also speak English as a first language. Despite this, the city of Vryheid in the middle-north of the province, remains mostly Afrikaans, very much the situation of Enkeldoorn in Rhodesia.

Mpumalanga

Just like the Free State, Mpumalanga is predominantly Afrikaans, but whites only comprise about 6.5% of the population, with almost no English population being present.

Northwest Province

The Northwest Province has an almost identical situation to that of Mpumalanga, however it boasts the only municipality in South Africa with an English majority: Sun City. Despite this, there is a very strong and patriotic Afrikaans community, but the province is also the birthplace of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB), which was created in Ventersdorp. There is especially a strong Afrikaans influence in the city of Potchefstroom. Roughly 6.7% of the province is white, of which the vast majority are Afrikaans.

Northern Cape

Like Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape's white population is also dominated by Afrikaners, with some English whites in cities such as Kimberley.

Limpopo

The Limpopo province has the smallest percentage of white people than any other province in the country (~2%), and they are almost entirely Afrikaans.

Namibia

Over many years, many Boers feared for their safety as the British neared closer to their lands for their natural resources. For this reason, many started to emigrate, however with the British already controlling Rhodesia (modern day Zimbabwe), their attention moved to Namibia, Botswana, and Angola. This new trek went all the way through Botswana and into south-west Angola, which was under Portuguese control at the time. During apartheid, many other Afrikaners moved into the land because of the vast space and untapped resources. Currently estimates for the Afrikaner population in Namibia vary from 80,000 to 150,000. Current white Namibians control over 50% of the agricultural land (the majority thought to be Afrikaans). The situation is often thought to be similar to Zimbabwe's with a similar amount of white farmers, only that Namibia has a higher percentage of them being white. Recent land reform talks have stirred up violence and fear that Namibia (and South Africa) will turn into the next Zimbabwe if forceful, brutal, and sped up land reforms take place.

Rhodesia/Zimbabwe

Afrikaans people currently make up 5% of Zimbabwe's white population, however this figure was thought to be greatly higher before 1980. Over 1/3 of Zimbabwe's white population fled abroad between 1980-1984, with half of them immigrating to South Africa. Almost all Afrikaans people who have fled Zimbabwe have immigrated to South Africa, and one of the few Afrikaans strongholds left in Zimbabwe is the central town of Chivhu (known as Enkeldoorn before 1982). The village was the first white settlement in Rhodesia, and was at one point predominantly white.

Kenya

During both Boer wars, Afrikaners traveled deep into Africa, to modern-day Kenya, and along with the British there, settled and hundreds of new farms were created in the western portion of the country. The majority of both the Afrikaans and the British settlers in Kenya lived in Kenya's fertile Rift Valley. There are currently, a strong and economically powerful 30,000 white people in Kenya (almost exclusively of British ancestry), however, there are still some Afrikaners who remain, and even still own farmland around the Afrikaans-founded city of Eldoret.

Angola

There are reported to be 2,700 Afrikaners in Angola, most probably from early migrants who arrived via Namibia. When Black nationalism grew in Angola, and most of the Portuguese left the colony, most Afrikaners left, either to South Africa or neighboring Namibia.

Elsewhere

In the early 20th century, following the Anglo-Boer War, large numbers of Afrikaners traveled north to British East Africa and settled in what is now Kenya and Tanzania, as well as in Angola. Following the Mau Mau insurgency and general collapse of colonial authorities in the decades after World War II, Afrikaner colonies outside South Africa, Namibia, and Rhodesia diminished in size and the majority of settlers and their descendants returned to South Africa.

The British in Africa

The English in Africa

Further information: Anglo-African and Whenwe

South Africa and the Cape Colony

File:Beit-bridge-c1940.jpg

A typical British farm in Beitbridge, in southern Rhodesia. British-owned farms were only common in Natal and Rhodesia. In Namibia, and the rest of South Africa, they were predominately owned by Boers (Afrikaans farmers).

Although there were small British settlements along the West African coast from the 18th century onwards, mostly devoted to the commerce of the slave trade, British settlement in Africa began in earnest only at the end of the 18th century, in the Cape of Good Hope. It gained momentum following British annexation of the Cape from the Dutch East India Company, and the subsequent encouragement of settlers in the Eastern Cape in an effort to consolidate the colony's eastern border.

In the late 19th century, the discovery of gold and diamonds further encouraged colonization of South Africa by the British. The search for gold drove expansion north into the Rhodesias (now Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi). Simultaneously, British settlers began expansion into the fertile uplands (often called the "White Highlands") of British East Africa (now Kenya and Tanzania). Most of these settlements were not planned by the British government, with many colonial officials concluding they upset the balance of power in the region and left overall imperial interests vulnerable. Cecil Rhodes utilized his wealth and connections towards organizing this ad hoc movement and settlement into a grand imperial policy. This policy had as its general aim the securing of a Cairo to Cape Town railway system, and settling the upper highlands of East Africa and the whole of Southern Africa south of the Zambezi with British colonies in a manner akin to that of North America and Australasia.

However, prioritization of British power around the globe in the years before World War I, initially reduced the resources appropriated toward settlement. World War I and the Great Depression and the general decline of British and European birthrates further hobbled the expected settler numbers. Nonetheless, thousands of colonists arrived each year during the decades preceding World War II, mostly in South Africa, where the birthrates of British Africans increased suddenly. Despite a general change in British policy against supporting the establishment of European settlements in Africa, and a slow abandonment in the overall British ruling and common classes for a separate and exclusivist European identity, large colonial appendages of European separatist supporters of the British Empire were well entrenched in South Africa, Rhodesia, and Kenya.

In keeping with the general trend toward non-European rule evident throughout most of the globe during the Cold War and the abandonment of colonial positions in the face of American and Soviet pressure, the vestigial remnants of Cecil Rhodes' vision was abruptly ended, leaving British settlers in an exposed, isolated, and weak position. Black Nationalist guerrilla forces aided by Soviet expertise and weapons soon drove the colonists into a fortress mentality which led to the break-off of ties with perceived collaborationist governments in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. The result was a series of conflicts which eventually led to a reduced presence of White Africans due to emigration and natural death. Many were murdered, tens of thousands driven off their lands and property, with many of those remaining being intimidated and threatened by the government and political and paramilitary organizations. However, what soon followed was a mass immigration to the safety and white rule of South Africa, which is the African country known to have the largest white population, currently with 1,755,100 British-South Africans. When apartheid first started most British-South Africans were mostly keen on keeping and even strengthening its ties with the United Kingdom. However, they were largely outnumbered by the Afrikaans, who preferred a republic, and in a referendum voted against being a British commonwealth realm.

During Apartheid

During apartheid, they kept a 'silent' role in politics, with Afrikaners being heavily dominant in the South African parliament. This was furthered by the fact that only a White, male, Protestant Afrikaner could be president. The South African Brits didn't revolt, accepting their status, but still keeping to the good quality of life which they shared with the Afrikaners. The acceptance, many say, was a matter of sympathy towards the Afrikaners, after killing many of them in concentration camps during the Second Boer War, but also was to many somewhat due to a common conception that the Anglo-Africans were more against apartheid than the Afrikaners, therefore not taking part in their politics. However, there is little evidence to prove this.

Post 1994

After the apartheid laws were abolished, Anglo-Africans ironically enjoyed more respect than Afrikaner from the new black community, being related to their role in politics during apartheid. The new South African government in many ways even praised the English. This can be shown as almost all names changed are directed against Afrikaans names, not English (however, Butterworth and Stanger were both English places that were renamed). Furthermore, English was greatly encouraged as a language of communication in the New South Africa, because Afrikaans was said to be 'offensive' because of its enforcement during apartheid. However, both English and Afrikaners both suffer under the new affirmative action plan, which gives non-whites a greater chance of collecting white jobs. Because of this, hundreds of thousands of British-South Africans left the nation to start new lives abroad, they settled United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, Netherlands, and Ireland. Despite high emigration rates, a high rate of white foreign immigrants have settled in the country, to be exact from countries such as United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. For example, by 2005, an estimated 212,000 British citizens were residing in South Africa. Since 2003, the numbers of British migrants coming to South Africa has risen by 50%. An estimated 20,000 British migrants moved to South Africa in 2007. There have also been a significant number of arrivals of white Zimbabweans of British blood, fleeing their home country in light of the economic and political problems currently facing the country. As well as recent arrivals, a significant number of white British Zimbabwean settlers emigrated to South Africa in the start of independence in Zimbabwe in 1980. Currently, the white English population of South Africa is mostly dominant in the KwaZulu-Natal province and in cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town.

By Province

see here.

Zambia/Northern Rhodesia

In 1964, there were 70,000 Europeans in Zambia.

Kenya

There were 60,000 white settlers living in Kenya in 1965. Today, there are an estimated 30,000 whites in Kenya. However, there has been an increasing number of British expatriates that, according to the BBC, number at about 32,000. Evolutionary scientist Richard Dawkins was born in Kenya.

Zimbabwe/Rhodesia

The white population in Zimbabwe dropped from a peak of around 296,000 in 1975 (5% of the population) to possibly 120,000 in 1999 and was estimated at no more than 50,000 in 2002, possibly much less.

Madagascar

There is a reported English population of 300 in Madagascar.

Angola

The British population of Angola is estimated at around 700. When Angola won independence from Portugal in 1975, many British people left those lands, with most Angolan British immigration to Namibia, Zimbabwe, or South Africa, while most from Mozambique left for either Zimbabwe or South Africa. It should, however, be noted that even before 1975, the number of British people in Angola and Mozambique was small, especially compared to the inhabiting Portuguese population.

Mozambique

In Mozambique, the British population numbers 1,500. When Mozambique won independence from Portugal in 1975, most British people left for either Zimbabwe or South Africa. Because Mozambique is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, it is easier for the British settlers to live there.

Elsewhere

Sizable numbers of Anglo-Africans also live in Ghana, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Swaziland (3% of the population), Nigeria, and Botswana.

The Scottish in Africa

Nyasaland (Malawi)

The Scots played an enormous part in British overseas colonization, alongside the English, Welsh, and Irish. Scotland supplied colonial troops, administrators, governors, prospectors, architects, and engineers to help construct the colonies all over the world. It is difficult and perhaps futile, to attempt to untangle Scottish settlement in Africa from wider British colonialism. It is only relevant in the light of modern-day Scottish independence movements and thus borders on historical revisionism. From the 1870s Scottish churches began missionary work in Nyasaland/Malawi, in the wake of their illustrious predecessor, David Livingstone. Their pressure on the British Government resulted in Nyasaland being declared a British Protectorate. A small Scottish community was established here, and other Scots immigration occurred in Southern Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, Northern Rhodesia/Zambia, and South Africa. The table below represents how small their numbers were compared to other sections of Rhodesia.

Numbers of white and black inhabitants in the federation

Year	Southern Rhodesia		Northern Rhodesia		Nyasaland
	White	Black	White	Black	White	Black
1927	38,200	922,000	4,000	1,000,000	1,700	1,350,000
1946	80,500	1,600,000	21,919	1,634,980	2,300	2,340,000

The largest and commercial capital of the country, Blantyre, is named after a town in Scotland and birthplace of David Livingstone. It is a testament to the love the African people had and still have for Livingstone that this name has not been changed after independence, like so many others. The reason for the small number of Europeans was mainly the lack of mineral resources (North Rhodesia had copper and South Rhodesia has gold). After Nyasaland became independent (and upon adopting a new name: Malawi), many Scots returned to Scotland or moved to South Africa or Zimbabwe (Rhodesia at the time still). Despite this, Scots had an enormous South African community (compared to that of Nyasaland), however they fail to take credit because they were a small part of the white community in South Africa. Also, under the African sun, and in relatively small numbers, domestic differences tended to be overlooked and the resulting colonial culture was an inclusive British one. To this day most Scots in Africa reside in South Africa and until the 21st century also in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia). Evidence of the continued Scottish influence is seen in the continuing traditions of Highland games and pipe bands, especially in Natal. Ties between Scotland and Malawi remain strong to this day. The Last King of Scotland is a story inspired by Scottish influence in Africa, including mutual hatred towards the British colonizers.

The French in Africa

Notre Dame d'Afrique, a church built by the French Pieds-Noirs in Algeria

See also: French Algeria, Pieds noirs, Franco-Mauritian, and Franco-Seychellois

Large numbers of French people settled in French North Africa from the 1840s onward. By the end of French rule in the early 1960s there were over one million European Algerians, mostly of French origin (known as pieds noirs, or "black feet") living in Algeria, consisting about 16% of the population in 1962. There were 255,000 Europeans in Tunisia in 1956. Morocco was home to half a million Europeans.

No other region of the French African colonial empire attracted similar settlement, although there is still a comparatively large European population living in the former West African colony of Ivory Coast, which had the largest French population of France's former colonies of sub-Saharan Africa, numbering 60,000 in 1980, although its numbers are believed to have declined since then. There are also important white minorities in Gabon, Senegal, and Togo.

French law made it easy for thousands of colons, ethnic or national French from former colonies of Africa, India, and Indochina to live in mainland France. 1.6 million European colons migrated from Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.

Madagascar

See also: French people in Madagascar

A sizeable number of French people reside in Madagascar. An estimated 18,000 French citizens lived and worked in Madagascar in the early 1990s. Currently, approximately 120,000 people, or 0.6% of the total population, are French. This community is descended from former French settlers who settled in Madagascar during the 19th Century. A further 80,000 people are classified as Réunionese Creole (persons of mixed Réunionese and French ancestry), therefore bringing the total number of people with French ancestry to approximately 1%. The numbers make Madagascar the home of the largest French population in sub-Saharan Africa.

Réunion

In Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, white islanders of French origin make up approx. 25% of the population.

Huguenots (French South Africans)

See also: Huguenots in South Africa

A large number of French Huguenots settled in the Cape Colony, following their expulsion from France in the 17th century. However, the use of the French language was discouraged and the Huguenot settlers were entirely absorbed into Afrikaans culture. However, this early contact can be seen clearly in the names of historic towns, such as Courtrai and Franschhoek in the Western Cape (meaning "French Corner") and in the surnames of many Afrikaners, such as Theron, Du Plessis, Joubert, Delagrange, etc. By far, the French South African community is the largest among all French African communities. There are often towns and suburbs in the Western Cape which carry some French names.

Franschhoek

File:HuguenotMemorialMuseum.jpg

The Huguenot Monument in Franschhoek, a structure dedicated to the French Huguenots who settled in South Africa.

Franschhoek (meaning French Corner, or French hook in Dutch) is a large town in the Western Cape, so named for the French Huguenots, who traveled and settled there. There is a striking French influence in the town, which can be found firstly in street names which include La Rochelle street, Bordeaux street, Huguenot street, Roux Malherbe street, and Cabriere street. Nearby farms, hamlets, and villages often hold French names such as La Roux; a township north of Franschhoek, Chamonix Estate, and so forth. Many Huguenot-dedictated buildings have been erected in Franschhoek, the major one being the Huguenot Monument. The town is famed for being one of the only sites in the whole nation to bear some evidence of Huguenot culture, as Huguenots generally converted to an Afrikaner-based culture.

Angola

There are a reported number of 4,000 French people in Angola.

The Portuguese in Africa

See also: Portuguese Africans, Portuguese Angolans, Portuguese Mozambicans, and Portuguese-South Africans

The first Portuguese settlements in Africa were built in the 15th century. In the late 17th century, much of Portuguese Mozambique was divided into prazos, or agricultural estates, which were settled by Portuguese families. In Portuguese Angola, namely in the areas of Luanda and Benguela there was a significant Portuguese population. In the islands of Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe, besides Portuguese settlers, most of the population was of mixed Portuguese and African origin.

In the early 20th century, the Portuguese government encouraged white emigration to Angola and Mozambique, and by the 1960s, at the beginning of the Portuguese Colonial War, there were around 650,000 Portuguese settlers living in their overseas African provinces, and a substantial Portuguese population living in other African countries. In 1974, there were up to 1,000,000 Portuguese settlers living in their overseas African provinces. In 1975, Angola had a community of approximately 400,000 Portuguese, while Mozambique had approximately more than 350,000 settlers from Portugal.

Most Portuguese settlers returned to Portugal (the retornados) as the country's African possessions gained independence in the mid 1970s, while others moved south to South Africa, which now has the largest Portuguese-African population (who between 50-80% came from Madeira), and to Brazil. When Mozambican Civil War began suddenly, large numbers of both Portuguese-born settlers and Mozambican-born settlers of Portuguese blood went out again.

However, after the war in Mozambique, more Portuguese settlers returned and the newer ones settled Mozambique while White Brazilians, especially those of Portuguese descent, moved to Mozambique to work as aid workers and investors and have adopted Mozambique as their home. It is estimated the population of Portuguese people in Mozambique has increased to over 20,000 since the peace settlement of Mozambique in 1992. Notable demographics of Portuguese Mozambicans could be found in cities like Maputo, Beira, and Nampula with Maputo accumulating the highest percentage. In recent years, some Portuguese have migrated to Angola for economic reasons, mainly the country's recent economic boom. In 2008, Angola was the preferred destination for Portuguese migrants in Africa.

The Italians in Africa

Libya

See also: Italian settlers in Libya

Libya had some 150,000 Italians settled in the nation during World War II, constituting about 18% of the total population. The Italians in Libya resided (and many still do) in most major cities like Tripoli (37% of the city was Italian), Benghazi (31%), and Houn (3%). Their numbers decreased after 1936. Most of Libya's Italians were expelled from the North African country in 1970, a year after Muammar al-Gaddafi seized power (a "day of vengeance" on 7 October 1970), but a few hundred Italian settlers returned to Libya in the 2000s.

YEAR	ITALIANS	PERCENTAGE	TOTAL LIBYA	SOURCE FOR DATA ON POPULATION
1936	112,600	13.26%	848,600	Enciclopedia Geografica Mondiale K-Z, De Agostini,1996
1939	108,419	12.37%	876,563	Guida Breve d'Italia Vol.III, C.T.I., 1939 (Censimento Ufficiale)
1962	35,000	2.1%	1,681,739	Enciclopedia Motta, Vol.VIII, Motta Editore, 1969
1982	1,500	0.05%	2,856,000	Atlante Geografico Universale, Fabbri Editori, 1988
2004	22,530	0.4%	5,631,585	L'Aménagement Linguistique dans le Monde

South African Italians

Although Italians were one of the few European nations that didn't encounter mass migration to South Africa, there was still many who ended up settling in South Africa. South African Italians made big headlines during World War II, when Italians captured in Italian East Africa needed to be sent to a safe stronghold to be kept as prisoners of war (POWs). South Africa was the perfect destination, and the first POWs arrived in Durban, in 1941. Despite being POWs, the Italians were treated well, with a good food diet and friendly hospitality. These factors, along with the peaceful, cheap, and sunny landscape, made it very attractive for Italians to settle down, and therefore, the Italian South African community was born. Although over 100,000 Italian POW were sent to South Africa, only a handful decided to stay, and during their capture, they were given the free will to create Chapels, Churches, Dams, and many more structures. Most Italian influence and architecture can be seen in the Natal and Transvaal area. White South Africans of Italian descent number between 6,300 and 28,059.

Other

A Catholic Cathedral in Asmara, built by Italian Eritreans in 1922.

See also: Italian Eritreans, Italian Somalians, Italian Egyptians, Italian Tunisians

The Italians had a significantly large, but very quickly diminished population in Africa. In 1926, there were 90,000 Italians in Tunisia, compared to 70,000 Frenchmen (unusual since Tunisia was a French Colony). Former Italian communities once thrived in their African colonies of Eritrea (50,000 Italian settlers in 1935) and Somalia (in the first half of 1940, there were 22,000 Italians living in Somalia, of whom 10,000 in the capital Mogadishu). The Italian Eritreans population grew from 4,000 during World War I to nearly 100,000 at the beginning of World War II. There was emigration to Ethiopia as well. During the five-year occupation of Ethiopia, roughly 300,000 Italians were absorbed into East Africa (there were over 49,000 Italians living in Asmara in 1939, and over 38,000 in Addis Ababa). This led to half of Asmara's population and 10% of Eritrea's being Italian in 1939. Many Italian settlers immigrated out of Italian Somaliland during and after World War II, and also during independence in 1960 and many more left when the Somali Civil War started unexpectedly. The size of the Italian Egyptian community had reached around 55,000 just before World War II, forming the second largest expatriate community in Egypt. A few Italian settlers stayed in Portuguese African colonies as World War II refugees when the Portuguese government tried to request Europeans of other nationalities to increase the very tiny Portuguese population and during the war, although that plan of the Portuguese government was unsuccessful. They were assimilated to the Portuguese population.

The Greeks in Africa

Egypt

See also: Greeks in Egypt

Greeks have been living in Egypt since and even before Alexander the Great conquered Egypt at an early stage of his great journey of conquests. Herodotus, who visited Egypt in the 5th century BCE, wrote that the Greeks were the first foreigners that ever lived in Egypt. Diodorus Siculus attested that Rhodian Actis, one of the Heliadae built the city of Heliopolis before the cataclysm; likewise the Athenians built Sais. While all Greek cities were destroyed during the cataclysm, the Egyptian cities including Heliopolis and Sais survived. In modern times the official 1907 census showed 62,973 Greeks living in Egypt. The expulsion of 2.5 million Greeks from Turkey saw a large number of those Greeks move to Egypt and by 1940 Greeks were numbered at around 500,000. Today the Greek community numbers officially about 3,000 people although the real number is much higher since many Greeks have changed their nationality to Egyptian. In Alexandria, apart from the patriarchate, there is a patriarchal theology school that opened recently after being closed 480 years. Saint Nicolas church and several other buildings in Alexandria have been recently renovated by the Greek Government and the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation. During the last decade, there has been a new interest from the Egyptian government for a diplomatic rapprochement with Greece and this has positively affected the Greek diaspora. The diaspora has received official visits of many Greek politicians. Economic relationships have been blossoming between Greece and Egypt. Egypt has been recently the centre of major Greek investments in industries such as banking, tourism, paper, and oil. In 2009, a five years cooperation memorandum was signed among the NCSR Demokritos Institute in Agia Paraskevi, Athens and the University of Alexandreia, regarding Archeometry research and contextual sectors.

South Africa

See also: Greeks in South Africa

The Greeks have had a presence in South Africa since the late 19th century. After the expulsion of the Greeks from Egypt as part of Nasser's nationalization policy the Greek population of South Africa dramatically increased to around 250,000. Today the number of Greeks in South Africa is estimated between 60,000 - 120,000.

Zimbabwe

The Greek community in Zimbabwe numbered between 13,000 and 15,000 people in 1972 and was the second largest white population in Zimbabwe behind the British. Today the Greek community in Zimbabwe comprises about 2,500 of Greek origin. Zimbabwe currently hosts eleven Greek Orthodox churches and fifteen Greek associations and humanitarian organizations.

Other

See also: Greeks in Ethiopia, Greeks in Zambia, Greeks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Greeks have a presence in a number of different African countries such as Cameroon (1,200 people), Zambia (800 people), Ethiopia (500 people), Uganda (450 people),, Democratic Republic of Congo (300 people), Kenya (100 families), Nigeria (300 people), Tanzania (300 people), Gambia (300 people), Sudan (200 people), Botswana (200-300 people), Malawi (200 people), and Morocco (150 people).

The Germans in Africa

Namibia

Examples of daily use of German in Namibia

Main article: German Namibians

Germany was late to colonize Africa (or to have an empire) mainly due to Germany not being a single country until the late 19th century. However, many Germans settled in South West Africa (modern day Namibia) as well as South Africa. Those Germans who migrated to South West Africa retained German culture, religion, and even language, while those in South Africa often had to learn English or Afrikaans as a first language and adopt another culture. Unlike other Europeans in Africa, when many African states gained independence, the Germans (along with the English and Dutch/Afrikaners) stayed in Southern Africa because they retained political dominance (now being a mandate under South African control). German influence in Namibia is very strong and noticeable. Many of the largest cities in the country remain with German names. These include Lüderitz, Grünau, Maltahöhe, Wasser, Schuckmannsburg, and even the capital city has a (slightly unused) German name (Windhuk). Namibia is also the only nation outside Europe to have a Lutheran majority. This is due to many German missionaries during the 19th century who converted the Ovambo and Damara people to Christianity. Until 1990 German was an official language of Namibia, and is now a recognized regional language (the only one of its kind for the German language outside of Europe). Today there are roughly 20,000-50,000 Germans in Namibia (32% of the white population, and 2% of the nation's population), and they greatly outnumber English and many Black ethnic groups. Their numbers are unsure because many Namibians of German ancestry don't speak German anymore, and sometimes would rather be classified as Afrikaans (Dutch).

Tanzania

A classroom in a German East African school.

See also: German East Africa

When Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi was under German control it was named German East Africa and received some migration from German communities, with over 3,579 Germans in German East Africa by 1914. In Dar Es Salaam, the capital city, it's German population grew to 1,050, 0.006% of the city's population and just under a third of the entire German East African population. However, these Germans were only ever here to try and implement German technology and science, and never to fully settle or Germanise the country. However much of the community has disappeared and there are practically no more Germans left in Tanzania. Their influence was once stronger though. The city of Tabora was formerly named Weidmannsheil and Kasanga was known as Bismarckburg. Mount Kilimanjaro was known as Kilimandscharo, a German way of spelling it. Unlike other colonial powers in Africa, the Germans established an education system for the Africans, which after world war one was demolished. Some colonial German style buildings still exist in some of Tanzania's largest cities and former German strongholds, but they are in bad condition and need extensive renovation. Despite virtually all German names being reverted since world war 1, some places still hold German names. These include the majority of Glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro, such as Rebmann Glacier and Furtwängler Glacier. Ironically, current estimates for the German population in Tanzania, stand more than double than that under German colonial rule (estimates put the figure at 8,500).

Togo

A map of Togoland in 1885, with Lomé in the south-west. Note that all land above the coast is called 'Unexplored country', despite the whole territory being under German control.

See also: Togoland

Togoland was a German colony from 1884 to 1914. In 1895 the capital, Lomé, had a population of 31 (~1% of the city) Germans and 2,084 natives. By 1913 the native population had swelled to 7,042 persons and 194 Germans (2% of the city), including 33 women, while the entire colony had a German population of 316, including 61 women and 14 children. Their numbers were depleted after World War I. The very little German architecture can be seen in the capital and from the Hinterlandbahn, a huge German railway which went deep into the thin country. The colony’s infrastructure was developed to one of the highest levels in Africa. Colonial officials built roads and bridges to the interior mountain ranges and three rail lines from the capital Lomé. Virtually all German influence present, and almost all German colonial activity took place in Lomé, and only ever reached deep inland when the Hinterlandbahn would voyage in the jungle for resources. Estimates for the current German population are as high as 700.

Cameroon

See also: Kamerun

Kamerun was a German colony in present day Cameroon between 1884 and 1916. During German control, few Germans migrated, but many trading posts and infrastructure was built to aid the growing German Empire with goods, such as bananas and important minerals. These trading posts were most abundant around the former capital city, and largest city in Cameroon: Douala. Douala itself was known as Kamerunstadt (German for 'Cameroon City') between 1884 and 1907. Most trading took place with Hamburg and Bremen, and was later made easier by the construction of an extensive postal and telegraph system. Like all German colonies (except South West Africa), after World War I, most Germans left for Europe, America, or South Africa.

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  German Settlers enjoying Christmas in Kamerun.
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  Bananas heading for Germany in 1912.
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  German surveyor in Kamerun, 1884.
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  A Police force on the Kaiser’s birthday, 1901.
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  German men in Douala, Kamerun.
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  A German built workshop in Kamerun.
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  Oil in Kamerun, one of the many resources that the German Empire needed.
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  German settlers in the rainforest.
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  Governer's home in Buea, with Mount Cameroon in the backgrond.
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  A German cemetery in Kamerun.
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  The schloss (palace) of Jesko von Puttkamer, governor of German Kamerun.
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  The proposed flag for German Kamerun

Former Portuguese colonies

A number of German settlers stayed in Portuguese African colonies as World War II refugees when the Portuguese government tried to request Europeans of other nationalities to increase the very tiny Portuguese population and during the war, although that plan of the Portuguese government was unsuccessful. They were assimilated to the Portuguese population. There is a recorded German population of Mozambique numbering 2,200

The Spanish in Africa

The Spanish have resided in many African countries (mostly former colonies), including Equatorial Guinea, Western Sahara, South Africa, Morocco, Ceuta, and Melilla. 94,000 Spaniards chose to go to Algeria in the last years of the 19th century; 250,000 Spaniards lived in Morocco at the beginning of the 20th century. Most Spaniards left Morocco after its independence in 1956 and their numbers were reduced to 13,000. An estimated 90,000 Spaniards live in Spain's North African enclaves Ceuta and Melilla. Western Sahara is home to 100 Spanish expatriates, all of them against the rule of Francisco Franco. Most Spanish expatriates officially went away after negotiation with the Madrid Accords.

Equatorial Guinea

See also: Spanish Equatoguineans

A stamp depicting a usual Spanish Owned plantation in 1924

The Spanish have resided in Equatorial Guinea (when under Spanish rule known as Spanish Guinea) for many years and first started as temporary plantation owners originally from Valencia, before returning to Spain. Few Spaniards remained in Spanish Guinea permanently and left only after a few years. At independence in 1968 Spanish Guinea had one of the highest per capita incomes in Africa (332 USD). The Spanish also helped Equatorial Guinea achieve one of the continent's highest literacy rates and developed a good network of health care facilities. Many left Spanish Guinea when the colony gained independence in 1968, and current figures of the Spaniard population range from 5,000 (1% of the population) to 16,000 (roughly over 3%). After independence, many Spanish-named cities and places in Equatorial Guinea were changed to more 'African' names, the most obvious one being the capital city, Malabo (formerly Santa Isabel), and the island it is located on, Bioko (formerly Fernando Pó). Despite a large loss of Spaniards during the 'brutal' rule of Masie Nguema Biyogo, who wrecked the nation of debt and abolished education, the number of Spaniards have somewhat increased after he was overthrown. They almost exclusively speak Spanish as their first language; French or Portuguese, which are official languages, are often spoken as a second language, sometimes alongside Bantu languages, or languages spoken by black people. Their religion is 100% Catholic, and this can be reflected by the population, which also remains Catholic. Since the discovery of oil, and an economic 'boom', a large number of Europeans, not just Spaniards, have migrated here for business and in Malabo, they are located in the western half of the city and in new housing estates.

The Belgians in Africa

Ethnically speaking, the term Belgian is dubious, since it can refer to the Flemish (Dutch-speaking), the Walloons (French-speaking), or to a lesser extent, to German-speaking Belgians.

Belgian Congo

On 5 July 1960, five days after the Congo gained independence from Belgium, the Force Publique garrison near Léopoldville mutinied against its white officers and attacked numerous European targets. This led to fear amongst the approximately 100,000 whites still resident in the Congo and mass exodus from the country. In 1965, there were 60,000 Belgians spread throughout the Congo.

The Flemish in Africa

Thousands of Flemings, along with the Dutch, migrated to South Africa for many years between the 17th century and the 20th century. Immigration to South Africa has slowed down drastically, but the remnants of a huge Flemish population still exist in Southern Africa. However, due to the Democratic Republic of Congo being a former Belgian colony, they received a large series of all types of Belgians arriving, and very much setting a 'segregated' colonial system, which can still be seen in cities like the Capital, Kinshasa, where the former segregated neighborhoods are still visible. Despite their mass return to Belgium, or immigrating to the Netherlands or South Africa, there are still around 52,000 Flemings in the Congo. It is also thought that there are roughly 3,000 Flemings in Rwanda.

Other White African Groups

File:Nancy1982 2.JPG

Zimbabwean women, 1982

The huge vast diversity of European ethnic groups in Africa were once more scattered, however currently every European ethnic group is greatest in South Africa. Virtually all European ethnic groups can be found in South Africa.

Smaller White African groups also settled parts of Africa. These include Norwegians in South Africa; Swedes in South Africa; Austrians in South Africa and Namibia; Finns in South Africa and Namibia; Lithuanians (mostly Jews) in South Africa; ,Lebanese in South Africa, Senegal, Liberia, Nigeria, Congo, and Côte d'Ivoire, Slovenes in South Africa (~100), Romanians in South Africa and virtually all other European ethnic group in South Africa. Some 300,000-1 million Lebanese reside in Africa, mainly in the west and south west.

In 1948, approximately 600,000 Jews lived in North Africa; today only around 6,000 Jews remain. There is a substantial, mostly Ashkenazic Jewish community in South Africa. These Jews arrived mostly from Lithuania prior to World War II. Although the Jewish community peaked in the 1970s, about 80,000 remain in South Africa.

Armenians once numbered thousands in Ethiopia and Sudan, before civil wars, revolutions, and nationalization drove most of them out. They still have community centers and churches in these countries. Before 1952 there were around 75,000 Armenians in Egypt.

The inhabitants of the Canary Islands hold a gene pool that is halfway between the Spaniards and the ancient native population, the Guanches (a proto-berber population), although with a major Spanish contribution.

On Tristan da Cunha, the population of 271 people shared just seven surnames: Glass, Green, Hagan, Lavarello (a typical Ligurian surname), Repetto (another typical Ligurian surname), Rogers, and Swain.

There are an estimated 100,000 Europeans living in Tunisia, most are French with some Italians. Morocco has about 100,000 Europeans, most of them French. About 50,000 Europeans (mostly French) and Lebanese reside in Senegal, mainly in the cities.

A number of people from Shiraz, Iran also live in Zanzibar, but their numbers were much greater before independence from Britain.. A number of Iranians also live in Mozambique, Somalia, and North Africa. Afghans also live in North Africa, which has a Muslim majority.

Arabs, aside from living in North Africa, live in Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea.

Current Populations (2005 est. From CIA)

White African Population by Country

• South Africa: 5,265,300 (as of July 2008)
• Namibia: 124,000 - 160,000
• Mozambique: 30,000 (as of December 2008)
• Zimbabwe: 20,000 ? (40.000)
• Kenya: 20,000 ? (62.000)
• Angola: 7,000 - 120,000
• Zambia: 8,000 ? (120.000)
• Botswana: 7,000 ? (50.000)
• Senegal: 5,000 ? (50.000)
• Other African nations: 10,000-25,000

The White African population of Zimbabwe was much higher in the 1960s and 1970s (when the country was known as Rhodesia); the largest was 300,000. After the introduction of majority rule in 1980, and the downturn due to a new economic system during the late 1990s that was brought on by expulsion of white farmers and the economic mismanagement by the Mugabe regime, many white people left the country.

By September 2007, it is thought that as few as 22,000 whites remain in Zimbabwe as the economic and political crisis deepens. It is thought that if economic and political conditions improve, some of the former white population will return.

The white African population in Mozambique was at its peak with about 370,000 Portuguese Mozambicans residing in Mozambique during the 1970s but political crisis and violence drastically decreased its population in a matter of weeks. Most Portuguese Mozambicans expelled or turned to Portugal and to neighboring South Africa and Zimbabwe and also to Brazil. However, there has been an increase in the white African population of Mozambique in the last 10 years due to the immense Brazilian presence in Mozambique.

Liberia has 18,000 or less whites mostly living in Monrovia, but the Liberian constitution provides citizenship only to blacks.

Languages

White Africans speak Indo-European languages as their first languages (English, Portuguese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Afrikaans).

Afrikaans

See also: Afrikaans

The most spoken language at home by white Africans is Afrikaans. It is spoken by 60% of South Africa's, 60% of Namibia's, and about 5% of Zimbabwe's white populations. In South Africa they make up a major white speaking group in all provinces except KwaZulu-Natal, and even there they make up 1.5% of the population. In English dominated Zimbabwe (and in Rhodesia), the Afrikaans created an Afrikaans stronghold in the center of the nation named Enkeldoorn (renamed Chivhu in 1982). However almost all Afrikaans people (sometimes known as Afrikaners) in Zimbabwe have immigrated to South Africa or First World countries.

English

See also: English language, South African English

English is often cited the second most spoken language among white Africans. It's spoken by 39% of South Africa's, 7% of Namibia's, and 90% of Zimbabwe's population. However, recent migration (especially to England and Australia) might have lead to an unbalance of the white population. In South Africa they are exclusive to KwaZulu-Natal, where they remain the dominant white ethnic group, while in Gauteng and the Western Cape they also contribute to a large percentage of the English-speaking population. It is here that they challenge the Afrikaans in being the white dominant ethnic group. English is a second language of many non-British white Africans with higher education in predominantly non-English-speaking African nations. Outside of South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, British Africans make up a large minority in Zambia, Kenya, Botswana, and Swaziland, therefore increasing the pressence of English in these countries.

German

See also: German language

German is spoken by 32% of Namibia's white population (making up 2% of the Namibian population). There is also a now nearly extinct German dialect in Namibia known as Namibian Black German (or in German as Küchendeutsch or Kitchen German), and used to be spoken by black slaves controlled by Germans. However, the government has tried to stop the use of German due to its colonial roots, and instead try and enforce English and other Bantu languages. There is also known to be a now extinct (if not, nearly extinct) German dialect, spoken in the south-east of South Africa, known as Nataler German (German from Natal).

Other languages

See also: Portuguese in Africa

Most of all whites in Angola and Mozambique use Portuguese as their first language. The other 1% of whites in South Africa (who don't speak Afrikaans or English) mostly speak Portuguese (from immigrant communities who come from Angola and Mozambique), or German and Dutch (from European immigration). Equally, in Namibia, the remaining 1% of the white population speaks mostly Portuguese because of the immigration from Angola following independence of all Portuguese colonies in 1975. Only a small white population in Libya, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia has the fluency of Italian, because it is no longer the official language there. Very few White Africans speak Bantu languages (languages spoken by Black people) at home, but still a small percentage of white Africans speak Bantu languages as second languages.

Sports

The Namibia rugby team is largely white

White Africans in East and Southern Africa are largely of British descent hence the most popular sport with them is cricket. Rugby and hockey are also popular with them. Today, cricket, rugby, and hockey national sports teams of South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya and until the 1970s, East African teams have been composed primarily of whites.

Many Whites from Commonwealth countries in Africa are accomplished swimmers, including Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe and Jason Dunford of Kenya, as well as numerous South Africans.

See also

• List of White Africans
• Muzungu
• Anglo-African
• Afrikaner
• Whites in South Africa
• Whites in Namibia
• Whites in Zimbabwe
• Whites in Kenya
• French people in Madagascar
• Portuguese Angolans
• Portuguese Mozambicans

References

• "The White African" Poem by Ross Dix-Peek