The Central African Federation comprised the Self-Governing Colony of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) plus the Protectorates of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Nyasaland (now Malawi). It lasted from 1953 – 63 – but its story goes back some way before that.
In the late 1920s the colonial office argued that the three central territories would benefit economically from closer integration and had more in common with each other than the territories further east. After the war, two other factors were added to the list.
In 1948, South Africa had elected a Nationalist government that believed in apartheid and a large federation would help to counter their influence in the region.
The growth of secondary industries (refining and processing) and the copper
