Rhodesia, Historical British colonial territory in south-central Africa.
Rhodesia was a colonial territory in south-central Africa that stretched from the Zambezi River in the north to the Limpopo River in the south, covering what is now Zimbabwe and Zambia. The territory contained mineral resources such as gold, copper, and coal, and lay across a series of plateaus and river valleys in the southern part of the continent.
The British South Africa Company administered this territory from 1889 under a royal charter and established a commercial form of colonial rule. In 1923 this arrangement ended, and Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing British colony while Northern Rhodesia passed directly under colonial administration.
The colonial administration established English as the primary language while maintaining local languages such as Shona and Ndebele among the population.
The former territory lies in a part of southern Africa that was positioned between the major rivers Zambezi and Limpopo and is now occupied by two independent nations. Travelers can visit historical sites and archives in the modern capitals Harare and Lusaka to learn more about this period.
Cecil Rhodes gave the territory his own name, one of the few regions in Africa named after a single individual. The administration by a private trading company with royal charter was a novel colonial model that was not repeated afterwards.
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