South Africa:
After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in
1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found
their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold
(1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the
subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British
encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The
resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid
- the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to
apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule.
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands:
The islands lie
approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands. Grytviken, on
South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station.
The famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route
to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned
some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and
arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off
the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition
and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses a small
military garrison. The islands have large bird and seal populations
and, recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in
adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing
zone from 12 miles to 200 miles around each island.
Southern Ocean:
A decision by the International Hydrographic
Organization in the spring of 2000 delimited a fifth world ocean -
the Southern Ocean - from the southern portions of the Atlantic
Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends
from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude
which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit. The Southern Ocean
is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the
Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the
Arctic Ocean).
Spain:
Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries
ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent
failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused
the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic
and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II,
but suffered through a devastating Civil War (1936-39). In the
second half of the 20th century, it has played a catch-up role in
the western international community. Continuing concerns are
large-scale unemployment and the Basque separatist movement.
Spratly Islands:
Rich fishing grounds and the potential for gas and
oil deposits have caused this archipelago to be claimed in its
entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed
by Malaysia and the Philippines. All five parties have occupied
certain islands or reefs, and occasional clashes have occurred
between Chinese and Vietnamese naval forces
Sri Lanka:
Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and the
Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in
1802. As Ceylon it became independent in 1948; its name was changed
in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil
separatists erupted in violence in the mid-1980s. Tens of thousands
have died in an ethnic war that continues to fester.
Sudan:
Military dictatorships promulgating an Islamic government
have mostly run the country since independence from the UK in 1956.
Over the past two decades, a civil war pitting black Christians and
animists in the south against the Arab-Muslims of the north has cost
at least 1.5 million lives in war- and famine-related deaths, as
well as the displacement of millions of others.
Suriname:
Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975.
Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military
regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to rule
through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until
1987, when international pressure finally brought about a democratic
election. In 1989, the military overthrew the civilian government,
but a democratically elected government returned to power in 1991.
Svalbard:
First discovered by the Norwegians in the 12th century,
the islands served as an international whaling base during the 17th
and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was recognized in 1920;
five years later it officially took over the territory.
Swaziland:
Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed
by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted
1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s have pressured the
monarchy (one of the oldest on the continent) to grudgingly allow
political reform and greater democracy.