Apartheid is an Afrikaans word meaning 'apartness' or 'separateness'. It is pronounced "apart-hayt". Apartheid was a South African political ideology that promoted supposedly separate but equal developement. People were categorised as White (Caucasian), Black (Negroid), Coloured (Mulatto?), Indian (Asian Indian :) ), Asian (Chinese, Japanese, etc.). The legislation that determined which 'race' one belonged to was unutterably silly.