South West Africa
- proper noun
:
Suroeste de África
- During the 1970s, South West Africa was administered by South Africa.
Examples
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Historical maps often show Namibia labeled as South West Africa.
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The people of South West Africa campaigned for independence for many years.
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Before 1990, Namibia was known as South West Africa.
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The history of South West Africa is complex and fascinating.
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In 1966, the United Nations declared South West Africa to be a non-self-governing territory, leading to its eventual independence as Namibia.
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The struggle for independence in South West Africa was pivotal in the history of Namibia.
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Many countries recognized South West Africa's right to self-determination even before it officially became Namibia.
Synonyms
13
3.0
A country in southwest Africa on the Atlantic coast that gained independence from South Africa in 1990
A country in southwest Africa on the Atlantic coast that became independent from South Africa in 1990
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'South' + 'west' + 'Africa' and a B1 learner who knows those words would readily infer it denotes the southwestern part of Africa (i.e. a geographic region). However, the specific sense as the historical country-name for present-day Namibia before 1990 requires extra historical/world knowledge and is not predictable from the constituents alone, so the item is only partially transparent.
Etymology
South West Africa was a simple map name: it pointed to the part of the continent in the south-west, so people put South and West next to Africa. The label stayed while the land was controlled by South Africa, and was replaced by the country's new name 'Namibia' when it became independent in 1990.