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apartheid: Quick Facts

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Did You Know?

  • More than 3.5 million black South Africans were forced to live on arbitrary reservations called Bantustans, depriving them of political power and pushing them into poverty.
  • At the end of apartheid, white South Africans (who made up some 10% of the population of the country) owned roughly 90% of South Africa's land as a result of a series of Land Acts.
  • More than 170 people died in the Soweto student protests.

Photos and Videos

racially restricted beach in apartheid-era South Africa
Black and white sign reading Pretoria, suburban station for non-whites, displayed in the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa as part of a segregation exhibit.
Map of South Africa showing the locations and boundaries of Bantustan territories during apartheid, with each Bantustan-such as Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Gazankulu, KaNgwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, Qwaqwa, Transkei, and Venda-highlighted in different colors. The map also marks historical province boundaries and major cities.
People lie wounded or dead on the ground as others stand nearby in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa, with crowds gathered in the background.
Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa
Nelson Mandela, wearing a blue suit and red patterned tie, speaks at a podium holding papers in the United Nations General Assembly hall.
A police officer examines the passbook of a Black South African man during apartheid, illustrating the enforcement of pass laws restricting movement.
Population Registration Act
Video thumbnail image shows Black South African schoolchildren standing behind a fence.
Uncovering apartheid history in Cape Town's District Six
The video thumbnail image shows a black and white image of Chief Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli.
Nelson Mandela: From shepherd to president
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Key People

default image
Daniel F. Malan
South African politician
Hendrik Verwoerd
Hendrik Verwoerd
prime minister of South Africa
Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom
Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom
prime minister of South Africa