thumb|Map of the Federation and the [[Protectorate of South Arabia.]]
thumb|Military event held in the [[Fadhli Sultanate to celebrate the new Federation]]
The Federation of South Arabia (FSA; ') was a federal state under British protection in what would become South Yemen. Its capital was Aden.
History
It was formed on April 4, 1962, from 15 states of the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South. On January 18, 1963, the Royal Colony of Aden joined it. After the annexation of the Upper Aulaki Sultanate in June 1964, the federation included 17 states.
<!--Halfway between Sheikh Othman and Little Aden, the capital of the Federation of South Arabia (FSA), Al-Ittihad, was built in the desert. The distances between the regions were great: from Mualla (Aden region) to Sheikh Othman - 8 kilometers, to Little Aden - 13 kilometers.
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On July 23, 1962, negotiations began in London between the British Minister of Colonies, Duncan Sandys, and the ministers of the Federation of South Arabia and the Colony of Aden. The parties raised the issue of the constitutional status of Aden and the conditions for its entry into the federation. Numerous parties and organizations in Aden protested against these negotiations, declaring that the colonial ministers did not have the right to decide the fate of the population of Aden and that only the national government of Aden, created by general elections, would be competent to decide the question of a union with the federation. To achieve all this, it was necessary to eliminate its dependence on Britain. Representatives of the opposition, led by the Aden Trade Union Congress, said that any union concluded against the will of the people of Aden would be dissolved at the first opportunity. On the day the London negotiations began, a protest strike was declared in Aden. The Aden Trade Union Congress called for this strike, despite the fact that Aden had had a law prohibiting strikes since 1960, and violators were subject to imprisonment.
On August 16, 1962, negotiations ended with the signing of an agreement, according to which Aden, while remaining under British sovereignty, was to become part of the Federation of South Arabia on March 1, 1963. The agreement provided that the federation agreement, signed on February 11, 1959, will remain in force, and the new agreement will be only an addition to it. During these negotiations, agreement was also reached to introduce minor changes to the constitutional status of Aden once it became part of the federation.
In 1965, the British temporarily removed the government of the Federation of South Arabia and imposed direct colonial rule.
In 1966, the Federation team took part in the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica. The Federation was dissolved following independence along with the Protectorate of South Arabia and the formation of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen on November 30, 1967.
States
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Flag
!Name
!Established
!Joined
!Notes
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|State of Aden
|1963
|
|
|-
|alt=|center|frameless|150x150px
|Alawi Sheikhdom
|unknown
|
|
|-
|alt=|center|frameless|150x150px
|Aqrabi Sheikhdom
|1770
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Audhali Sultanate
|18th century
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Emirate of Beihan
|1680
|
|
|-
|frameless|151x151px
|Dathina Sheikhdom
|18th century
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Emirate of Dhala
|early 19th century
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Fadhli Sultanate
|17th century
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Haushabi Sultanate
|18th century
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Sultanate of Lahej
|1728
|1872
|formerly ruled over Aden
|-
|alt=|center|frameless|150x150px
|Lower Aulaqi Sultanate
|18th century
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Sultanate of Lower Yafa
|ca. 1800
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Muflahi Sheikhdom
|1850
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Sheikhdom of Shaib
|18th century
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Upper Aulaqi Sheikhdom
|18th century
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Upper Aulaqi Sultanate
|18th century
|
|
|-
|alt=|150x150px
|Wahidi Sultanate
|1830
|
|consisted originally of four sub-sultanates: Wahidi Balhaf, Wahidi Azzan, Wahidi Bir Ali, Wahidi Haban
|}
List of rulers
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! State !! Last Ruler !! Deposed !! House !! Reign !! Ref(s)
|-
| Alawi
!scope="row"| Salih ibn Sayil
| 28 August 1967 || Al Alawi || Last reigning Sheikh (1940–1967). || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Aqrabi
!scope="row"| Mahmud ibn Muhammad
| 28 August 1967 || Al Aqrabi || Last reigning Sheikh (1957–1967). || style="text-align:center;"||group=as|name=Yafa || Last reigning Sultan (1954–1967). || style="text-align:center;"|