British Central Africa
Encyclopedia
The British Central Africa Protectorate (BCA) existed in the area of present-day Malawi
between 1893 and 1907.
south of Lake Nyasa and the lands west of the lake had been of interest to the British
since they were first explored by David Livingstone
in the 1850s, and commercial interests began moving in during the 1880s. In 1889, the Anglo-Portuguese Crisis erupted over control of the area, and Britain declared a Shire Highlands Protectorate, extending it to a Nyasaland Districts Protectorate in 1891, and renaming to British Central Africa Protectorate in 1893.
Sir Henry Hamilton Johnston was commissioner from 1 February 1891 to 16 April 1896. In addition to establishing the administration and police force, he granted land to plantation
farmers, and mining companies, gradually dispossessing the natives, who were not familiar with the legal process. Coffee
became the chief cash crop.
Blantyre
was the economic and cultural centre of the protectorate, while Zomba in the Highlands was the governor's residence and administrative centre.
Sir Alfred Sharpe
took over as commissioner in 1896, serving until 1 April 1910, with Francis Barrow Pearce and William Henry Manning as acting commissioner for a period in 1907 and 1908.
The protectorate was changed to the Nyasaland Protectorate on 6 July 1907.
Main article at Postage stamps and postal history of British Central Africa
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Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
between 1893 and 1907.
History
The Shire HighlandsShire Highlands
The Shire Highlands are a plateau in southern Malawi, located east of the Shire River. Ranging in elevation from 2,000 to 4,000 feet, it is a major agricultural area and the most densely-populated part of the country....
south of Lake Nyasa and the lands west of the lake had been of interest to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
since they were first explored by David Livingstone
David Livingstone
David Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...
in the 1850s, and commercial interests began moving in during the 1880s. In 1889, the Anglo-Portuguese Crisis erupted over control of the area, and Britain declared a Shire Highlands Protectorate, extending it to a Nyasaland Districts Protectorate in 1891, and renaming to British Central Africa Protectorate in 1893.
Sir Henry Hamilton Johnston was commissioner from 1 February 1891 to 16 April 1896. In addition to establishing the administration and police force, he granted land to plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
farmers, and mining companies, gradually dispossessing the natives, who were not familiar with the legal process. Coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
became the chief cash crop.
Blantyre
Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
was the economic and cultural centre of the protectorate, while Zomba in the Highlands was the governor's residence and administrative centre.
Sir Alfred Sharpe
Alfred Sharpe
Sir Alfred Sharpe was a professional hunter who became a British colonial administrator and Commissioner of the British Central Africa Protectorate from 1896 until 1910...
took over as commissioner in 1896, serving until 1 April 1910, with Francis Barrow Pearce and William Henry Manning as acting commissioner for a period in 1907 and 1908.
The protectorate was changed to the Nyasaland Protectorate on 6 July 1907.
History of the evolution of the British Central Africa Protectorate
Postage stamps and postal history of British Central Africa
Postage stamps and postal history of British Central Africa
The British Central Africa Protectorate existed in the area of present-day Malawi between 1891 and 1907.- First stamps :The first postage stamps of the protectorate were issued in April 1891, produced by overprinting the Rhodesian stamps of the British South Africa Company with B.C.A....
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