Who were the Boers?

The Boers are descendents of Dutch people who settled in Africa around the middle of the 17th century, cultivated the land, and raised cattle. The word 'Boer' comes from a Dutch word meaning 'farmer'. As the British had made it their purpose to exploit the gold and diamond deposits of South Africa since the beginning of the 19th century and had thus conquered the land bit by bit, the Boers made a long migratory journey called the Great Trek to the north and established small cities there. Many Boers also kept slaves. This is one of the factors that led to the emergence of apartheid, the practice of racial discrimination, in South Africa; till the year 1992, this social evil put the black population of the country at a server disadvantage.