Great Britain was the largest colonial power of history with colonies on everyone of the inhabited continents. British colonies covered in outgoing 19. Century nearly a quarter of the earth's surface; the development from English to the world language number one was released by the fact that it was colonial language of Great Britain.

Characteristics

Great Britain exhibits some characteristics with current and former colonies. The Isle OF one and the channel islands is subordinate not like the other colonies to the British state, but directly the queen. The queen is besides a head of state of several independent states, which belonged before times to Great Britain. To it belong among other things Australia, New Zealand and Canada. A governor general assigned from the queen represents here the queen and signs for her all decisions made by the respective governments and parliaments. The queen has theoretically the right to block each of these decisions by her veto. From this right it made for use since 1953 however only twice.

Contrary to most other colonial powers Great Britain has good political and economic relations today with the majority of its former colonies and is nation further closely connected with them in the Commonwealth OF. The areas, whose international relations is noticed this very day by Great Britain, are called also British overseas territories.

Overview of former and still existing areas after continents

Africa

• Egypt
• Betschuanaland (today Botswana)
• British Togo country (today to Ghana)
• British west Africa
  • Gold coast (colony) (today Ghana)
  • Parts of the today's States of the Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone
• Cameroon
• Cape colony, late part of the South African union and South Africa
• Kenya
• Nigeria
• Nordrhodesien (today Zambia)
• Sansibar (1964 combined with Tanganjika to Tanzania)
• Somaliland
• South Africa
• (today Simbabwe)
• Southwest Africa (today Namibia)
• the anglo Egyptian Sudan
• Tanganjika (1964 combined with Sansibar to Tanzania)
• Uganda

• African Lakes company

America and Atlantic islands

• The USA (administratively arranged into four colonies: New England, middle colonies, southern colonies, Chesapeake Bay)

• British Guayana (today Guayana)
• British Honduras (today Belize)
• Canada
• Bermuda islands
• West India
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • The Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • British young remote islands
  • Dominica
  • Grenada
  • Jamaica
  • Dock one islands
  • Montserrat
  • Pc. Cement and Nevis
  • Pc. Lucia
  • Pc. Vincent and the Grenadinen
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turks and Caicosinseln
• Pc. Helena

Asia

• Aden (today Yemen)
• Bhutan
• British India (until 1948; today India, Pakistan, Bangladesh)
• British new Guinea (today Papua New Guinea)
• Brunei
• Burma (today Myanmar)
• Ceylon (today Sri Lanka)
• Hong Kong (1997 returned at China)
• Iraq, 1920 as people federation mandate
• Qatar
• Kuwait
• Malaya (today Malaysia)
• Maldives
• Nepal
• Oman
• Palestine (today Israel and Palestinian autonomy areas likewise as people federation mandate)
• Sarawak (today Malaysia)
• Singapore
• Transjordanien (today Jordanian ones)
• Trucial States (today Arab emirates combined)
• Weihaiwei

• English east India company

Europe

• Gibraltar (still British Kronkolonie, is stressed however by Spain)
• Malta (1964 independently)
• Helgoland (1890 due to Helgoland Sansibar contract to the German Reich)
• Ioni islands
• Cyprus (1960 due to the agreement independently of Zurich)

Australia and Ozeanien (Pacific)

• Australia
  • New South Wales
  • Queensland
  • South Australia
  • Tasmanien
  • Victoria
  • Western Australia
• Cook islands
  • Aitutaki (Polynesian island, duly to the Cook islands)
  • Penrhyn
• Ellice islands (today Tuvalu)
• Fiji
• Gilbert islands (today Kiribati)
• Nauru
• New Hebriden (Kondominium with France, today Vanuatu)
• New Guinea as mandated territory (today Papua New Guinea)
• New Zealand with Samoa as mandated territory
  • Niue (since 1901 under administration of New Zealand)
• Papua (today Papua New Guinea)
• Pitcairninseln
• Salomonen
• Tonga

Antarctic

• Bouvetinsel (1928 surrendered to Norway)
• British Antarctic territory (today British overseas territories)
  • Falklandinseln
  • and the southern sand yielding islands
  • Antarctic peninsula, internationally not recognition - > Antarctic contract
  • Southern Orkneyinseln, internationally not recognition - > Antarctic contract
  • Southern Shetlandinseln, internationally not recognition - > Antarctic contract

See also

• Kolonisation
• English east India company
• List of colonies

Articles in category "British colonies"

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