The white settlers in Southern Africa were known as

The white settlers in Southern Africa were known as "Boers". The term "Boer" is derived from the Dutch word for "farmer" and was used to refer to the early Dutch settlers in southern Africa who established farms and later moved northwards as they became dissatisfied with British rule. The Boers established two independent republics, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, but these were later absorbed into the British Empire. The term "Boer" is also used more broadly to refer to the Afrikaans-speaking white population of South Africa.