The
South African Republic (,
ZAR), often referred to as the
Transvaal and sometimes as the
Republic of Transvaal, was an independent and internationally recognised country in
Southern Africa from 1852 to 1902. The country defeated the British in what is often referred to as the
First Boer War and remained independent until the end of the
Second Boer War on 31 May 1902, when it was forced to surrender to the British. The territory of the ZAR became known after this war as the
Transvaal Colony. After the outbreak of the
First World War a small number of Boers staged the
Maritz Rebellion and aligned themselves with the
Central Powers in a failed gambit to regain independence.