Following World War II, Britain lost much of its wealth and authority which led to granting India its independence as dissatisfaction with British rule was growing in the colony. Here is a brief look at some former British Colonies and how they came to be. 0000.999.37240. South Australia was established in 1836, Victoria in 1851 and Queensland in 1859. The British government watched the East India Company, who ruled India. Given the vast size and complexity of the empire, Great Britain made no effort to rule it as a single political unit. This is what British historian Stuart Laycock learned after his son asked him how many countries Britain had invaded. ... British colonies, including Africa and India, made a significant contribution to the war effort. In the mid- to late-1800s, European powers became obsessed with obtaining territory and British colonies on the ... 2 Spices and Tea. In 1860, Kowloon was won by the British, and 1898, the modern dividing line between mainland China and Hong Kong was established. This is what British historian Stuart Laycock learned after his son asked him how many countries Britain had invaded. During this time, the vast majority of Iran was under rule by the Qajar Dynasty, … Both Canada and the United States have areas in them that were once British colonies. Great Britain participated in economic imperialism in India. The colonization was orchestrated by the East India Company, a British corporation that traded cotton, silk, spices and tea. This eventually led to the American War of Independence, also known as the Revolutionary War, which took place from 1775 to 1783. See disclaimer. Like in Africa, many western and central African countries were colonized by other European powers. One of the last British colonies to gain its independence was Zimbabwe in 1980. The first attempt at colonization came from their bordering country of Egypt. At this time, these included New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and “Canada” which was comprised of Upper and Lower Canada, today the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The other country was Great Britain, who happened to colonize many countries besides Sudan (Benjamin 1060). Britain had an extensive history of colonization, and it wanted colonies in North America for multiple reasons, including to increase their trading opportunities, create new jobs, and bring in revenue from colonial workers and goods. Likewise, China was never colonized formally, but the Opium Wars were fought to ensure that British opium merchants had access to Chinese markets. With the occupation of Egypt in 1882, Great Britain aimed to annex more territory in East Africa until British territory connected the Cape of Good Hope to Cairo. By the end of her 64-year reign, the United Kingdom (U.K.) controlled more than 14 million square miles of territory and produced around 30 percent of the world's total industrial output. Former British Colonies. Britain did not have the amount of people to use direct control over all of their colonies, especially Africa. The British government did not officially rule Iran, but it did affect most of the government's policy because it owned the country's most valuable resource. British settlers landed in New Zealand in 1840. But it took a couple of decades for the European colonialism to fully collapse; France was fighting for Algeria until 1962 and Portugal did not abandon its African colonies until 1974. By 1670 there were British American colonies in New England, Virginia, and Maryland and settlements in the Bermudas, Honduras, Antigua, Barbados, and Nova Scotia. By 1894 the list of colonies included Rhodesia, Nyasaland, British East Africa, Somaliland and the Sudan under British control. Lesson Summary. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers. Russia was successful in capturing some of the northern areas of the Empire (present-day Turkmenistan, for example) in the 19th century. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. After protracted conflict, governance of India was officially transferred to the British crown in 1877 with Queen Victoria acquiring the title of Empress of India. However, the British Empire controlled a substantial amount of territory in Africa from the 16th century to the 18th century, from what is now South Africa to what is now Egypt. Britain seized control in 1822 when the Egyptian government was in debt to Europe. A … 4 The Sun Never Set. Britain colonized India from 1757 to 1947. Britain began colonizing the world back in the 16th century and spread its power through a strong army and by partnering with local authorities to conduct business. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. It had always been Britain's most economically active region but the end of Empire did not see the end of Britain's economic and cultural ties to the region. Right now, Hong Kong is a special administrative region (SAR) of China, but that will change in 2047, when China will likely take complete control of the region. By 1914, most of the countries in the world had been colonized by Europe. In British North America, clashes with the United States during the War of 1812 and growing concerns about possible American annexation during the Civil War (1861-1865) led to the creation of the independent Dominion of Canada by Act of Confederation in 1867. A … Top British and middle Indian administrators ruled Burma. Rwanda. British bronze medal (1834) commemorating the end of slavery in the British colonies under King William IV (1830-1837). These countries had been part of the Ottoman Empire until World War I. Both British and Russian forces were interested in controlling present-day Iran (then the Persian Empire). An empire is a group of colonies that are ruled by a single power, and while Britain itself has always been quite small in land mass and located far away from many of the places it has governed, it somehow succeeded in growing the largest empire in history. The majority of ethnic nations lived in their independent small polities. Thus, many European countries, such as Italy, Portugal, Greece, Spain, England and Germany, began acquiring colonies, leading to the colonial division of the world. Britain had no right to rule people who did not want to be ruled by Britain. India was a colony of Britain from 1858 to 1947. Britain ruled Hong Kong with an agreement that the empire would give Hong Kong back to China 99 years after signing the deal, on July 1 1997, which it did. In the early 17th century, says Mill, Britain was, “oppressed by … During Queen Victoria's reign, Great Britain continued to expand its claim to territories in Australia and the Pacific. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2021 worldatlas.com. The New South Wales colony on Australia's east coast was divided into separate colonies during the mid-1800s. Nothing lasts forever, however. In the mid- to late-1800s, European powers became obsessed with obtaining territory and British colonies on the African continent. Different territories had different official statuses, and not all were governed directly by the British. Source: Colonization in Africa. Six countries: Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, and the United States, had colonies in Southeast Asia. During the Victorian era, Asia and India were the primary focus for expanding the British empire. The countries represented at the time included Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway (unified … These areas became prosperous economically and many people living in them began to wonder at one point why they needed to pay taxes to leaders back in England. Let’s find out more in our British Empire facts… British Empire facts. Between 1840 and 1868, the British began phasing out their original practice of shipping convicts to Australia. Portugal The Portuguese had the least impact on Southeast Asia. The British Empire of the 19th century is best known for its queen, Victoria (1837-1901). Facts about British Colonization of Australia talk about the history of Australia in 1780 until 1859. In West Africa, the British had no pretensions about their attitude toward their colonies and colonial subjects. Early on, it was pretty clear that war-weary Europe would soon be fighting again over the spoils of the New World. Interestingly, 18 African countries that were formerly British colonies have chosen to remain connected to Great Britain as members of the British Commonwealth. I will let you figure out the countries in the map below for yourself. Germany had only been unified in … So many countries were colonized by the British, but there are many countries that weren't colonized by the British either. They are mainly Sunni Muslim. In 1842, this temporary set up became a permanent deal with the Treaty of Nanjing. In 1948, Burma negotiated with Britain for its independence. The colonies originally were administered by New South Wales, but in 1841 New Zealand became a British colony in its own right. There were, however, some large conquering empires: the Bugandan Empire in Uganda; the Zulus in South Africa; the Mwene Mutapa Empire of the Shona people in Zambia, or Great Zimbabwe; the Benin Empire; the kingdoms of the Yoruba (Ife, Oyo, and Ibadan); the Ashanti in Ghana; the Fulani Empire in northern Nigeria, which even tried to extend into regions of Sierra Leone; the Kanem-Bo… Today, Hong Kong is governed under the “one country, two systems” relationship. List of countries that have gained independence from the United Kingdom. Colonization and early self-government The opening of the 17th century found three countries— France, Spain, and England —contending for dominion in North America. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. Britain did not want to be paternalistic like the French colonialists, and it did not practice the assimilation policies of the French. The British Empire was massive and was created with crafty, creative, and domineering ways of thinking. British rule extended into the Pacific with the acquisition of the Fiji Islands in 1874 and British New Guinea in 1884. These included what are now Kenya, Sudan, Lesotho, Botswana, Northern Somalia, Egypt, Eastern Ghana, Gambia, Niger, and Benin. Thus, many European countries, such as Italy, Portugal, Greece, Spain, England and Germany, began acquiring colonies, leading to the colonial division of the world. © 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. The few colonies Britain maintained in West Africa primarily provided support for the British navy. New research shows that practically everyone has been invaded by British troops at one point or another. Napoleon Bonaparte invaded the country in 1798 and the presence of the French helped secularize and modernize Egypt. These countries accounted for more than 30% of Africa's population. Former British Colonies. India. Senegal. As in the Indian Subcontinent, the British used local African tribal leaders to work for them from afar. Eventually, a growing spirit of independence would strip Spain of its New World empire. e.g: Burkina Faso. Great Britain participated in economic imperialism in India. Spanning over 400 years, historians continue to research and discover new things about the British Empire.And today more than ever, people are recognising, questioning and understanding the full story behind this important part of world history. The sun figuratively never set on the British empire during the Victorian Era with British colonies on every part of the globe. The Sykes-Picot Agreement partitioned the area between Britain and France. Many say the British Empire was made possible by conquering the world by sea, investing in a formidable army, and partnering with local people to further its spread. French bronze medal commemorating John Brown, the American abolitionist who attempted to forcibly end slavery in the United States. When the British colonized these new lands, they changed things. The Berlin Conference awarded large portions of East Africa to Great Britain. During the First Opium War between China and Britain in 1839, China temporarily gave Hong Kong Island over to the British. Britain did not have the amount of people to use direct control over all of their colonies, especially Africa. The primary motive was to become a planetary superpower and dominate the world. In the sixteenth century, “England was a backward country”, says Robertson. Great Britain waged two wars with Afghanistan to protect the northwest border of India resulting in Afghanistan becoming a semi-protectorate of the crown in 1880. In this case, the 13 colonies were located in North America, and they were controlled by Great Britain. The country had colonies in the Western Hemisphere as well, mostly Caribbean islands coveted for their run and sugar production. Of these England, the tardiest on the scene, finally took control of the beginnings of what is now the United States. The French also had colonies in Africa, from the ROC to modern-day Morocco, among other colonies worldwide. Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Togo. Who will be next? 3 The Land Down Under. Ethnic rivalries were not serious in precolonial Africa. Thus, Britain did not attempt … By the end of Queen Victoria's reign, the list of British colonies in the British West Indies included the island nations of Anguilla, Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Turks and Caicos. India was under the private control of the British East India Company until 1857. Who are the indigenous people of Palestine? In what is now the eastern US, thirteen British colonies were set up during the 17th and 18th centuries. New research shows that practically everyone has been invaded by British troops at one point or another. The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. Much of Europe, a continent that had dominated the world for several centuries, was in ruins, and host to the armies of the United States and the Soviet Union, who now held the balance of global power. It was the period of colonization in the country. By 1914, most of the countries in the world had been colonized by Europe. Hulton Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, The History Press: India from Queen Victoria's Time to Independence, Australian War Memorial: Colonial period, 1788–1901. Within 30 years, both England and France had established colonies in the New World. In this case, the 13 colonies were located in North America, and they were controlled by Great Britain. It remains to be seen if any one power will again dominate over such a large portion of the globe, but history does have a tendency to repeat itself. ThoughtCo / Adrian Mangel Countries Represented at the Berlin Conference . European countries with interest in Africa met in Berlin in 1884 to divide the continent among themselves. This was done with the 1841 Convention of Chuenpi. Then the British people also established other colonies in many parts of Australia. Jamaica was obtained by conquest in 1655, and the Hudson’s Bay Company established itself in what became northwestern Canada from the 1670s on. They captured Malacca in 1511, holding it until the Dutch seized it in 1641. After more conflict, Burma became part of the empire in the 1880s. The nations conquered were linked in trade as well as in politics, and this lasted for quite a while. Before proceeding to look at how the British rule shattered the Indian economy, it will be useful to consider the respective macro-economic situations that prevailed in Britain and India before the Indian subjugation.It should be noted that the British, during the 16th and 17th centuries, were in a bad shape. Britain had an extensive history of colonization, and it wanted colonies in North America for multiple reasons, including to increase their trading opportunities, create new jobs, and bring in revenue from colonial workers and goods. The British started colonizing Africa from the 1870s. Great Britain ruled present day Sudan, Kenya, Botswana,Lesotho, Egypt, Northern Somalia, Eastern Ghana,Benin,Gambia and Niger Great Britain used indirect rule to control their colonies. While various countries gained their independence over time, even by 1952 when Queen Elizabeth took the throne, over 70 colonies still existed in the empire overseas. He was hanged in 1859 for his part in an attack on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. At its height in 1921, this empire had become a refined worldwide network, ruling approximately one quarter of all the land on Earth. British North America and Colonial America. T he other countries must feel so left out. Today, the US is not governed by the UK, and Canada is a sovereign nation but a constitutional monarchy with the Queen of Canada (Queen Elizabeth) as the head of state. In part, this may have been due to a transfer of British ideas about the separation of classes to their overseas colonies. During the Victorian era which ended with the queen's death in 1901, Great Britain became the largest imperial power in the world. Historians debate exactly how this happened. The British Empire was the largest of its kind in history, and once covered about one quarter of all the land on Earth. Mueller holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and a Juris Doctor from Indiana University Maurer School of Law. THE LIGHTLY COLONIZED COUNTRIES OF THE FERTILE CRESCENT. The primary motive was to become a planetary superpower and dominate the world. 1 … The country already had officially laid claim to Western Australia in 1829 as one of the British colonies. The company set up relationships that were mutually beneficial for both Britain and locals in India and in other countries throughout the Indian Subcontinent. The British Empire ruled over many countries in Africa, beginning in 1870. By the 1750s until 1947, Britain ruled the Subcontinent. Colonization by the French and the British had a strong influence on Egyptian society. It all began back in the 1600s when Britain first set up the East India Company in order to ... Hong Kong. Egypt, the bordering country of Sudan, was one of them. Currently, none. Contents. Jennifer Mueller began writing and editing professionally in 1995, when she became sports editor of her university's newspaper while also writing a bi-monthly general interest column for an independent tourist publication. The colonized the following territories; Sudan Lesotho Benin Kenya Tanzania Somalia Eastern Ghana Cameroons Egypt Gambia Nigeria South Africa In 1935, Britain consented to separate Burma from India and this was put into force in 1937 (Wilson). Today, Queen Elizabeth is still officially the head of state for 16 Commonwealth countries outside the UK. He dug into the history of almost 200 … All of them speak Arabic. By Victoria Simpson on September 8 2020 in World Facts. Fourteen countries were represented by a plethora of ambassadors when the conference opened in Berlin on November 15, 1884. It all began back in the 1600s when Britain first set up the East India Company in order to bring silk, spices, tea, and salt from India to Europe. The British in Africa. Canada’s road to independence has been long and winding. The British maintained Burma as a province of British India, unlike other colonies which kept their ethnic identities. It grew at a unique time in history, and while it has shrunk considerably since it began, the effects of the empire are felt globally to this day. Colonies are territories that have no independent representation and are under the political control of a state. A Short History of the Colonization of Palestine Myth: “‘Israel’ was a land without a people for a people without a land.” History: Arab people have lived in Palestine for thousands of years. Britain advanced the land and the territories greatly in terms of technology and society, it came at the expense of the native peoples. This means … These were all places Britain wanted to dominate for access to goods such as rubber, salt, gold, ivory, and other natural products. The last province to join since the 1867 confederation was Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949 and the last territory was Nunavut in 1999. The company had an army, led by British officers and staffed by Indian soldiers. In 1780, these people began to form a colony in New South Wales. These include Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the Bahamas, Australia, Belize, Barbados, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. When Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837, she ushered in an era of industrialization and global expansion of the British empire. Likewise, British forces gained power in the eastern region of the Persian Empire, near present-day Pakistan. The history of colonization began when the First Fleet of Britain arrived in Sydney. Further east, the British established control of the Malay peninsula and acquired a lease on Hong Kong from China following the end of the Opium Wars. The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Great Britain annexed Aden in 1839 and established colonies in South Africa in 1843. Gilbert and Ellice Islands (Kiribati and Tuvalu), 1997 (Now a Chinese special administrative region), 1965 (self governing island state in free association with New Zealand), Mandatory Palestine (Israel, Jordanian annexation of the West Bank, Palestine Protectorate), 1860 (now part of Nicaragua and Honduras), 1846 (became a US territory, then a state), 1783 (became a Spanish colony, later a US territory, Province of Nova Scotia (one of the founding provinces of Canada), Province of Quebec (one of the founding provinces of Canada), 1869 (became part of the Canadian confederation), 1963 (became a state of Malaysia, then separated in 1965), Straits Settlements (Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo), 1946 (Separated and passed to other nations), Swan River Colony (Western Australia, state in Australia). As far as current British overseas territories go, these include land in the Antarctic as well as Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean territory, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, the Pitcairn Islands, St Helena and its Dependencies, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, and the Turks & Caicos Islands. Though Britain and the empire emerged victorious from the Second World War, the effects of the conflict were profound, both at home and abroad. Follow Africa is Home to learn more. The other chief colonisers were France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Here are some interesting facts about British Colonization of Australia below: India was a colony of Britain from 1858 to 1947. Why not google the question for yourself? What is the Difference Between the Vatican City and the Holy See? The history of colonization began when the First Fleet of Britain arrived in Sydney. Britain was left essentially bankrupt, with insolvency only averted in 1946 after the negotiation of a $US 4.33 billion loanfrom the United States, the last installment of which … The company had an army, led by British officers and staffed by Indian soldiers. The British empire ruled over British North America in what is now Canada, beginning in about 1860. In 1780, these people began to form a colony in New South Wales. 1 Countries Colonized by Britain. Iraq: Occupied by Britain in World War I. Nominally independent after 1932. One of the last major colonies to be given up by Britain was Hong Kong which was given back to China on July 1st 1997. An attack on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Burma negotiated with Britain its... Beneficial for both Britain and locals in India has been longlasting, and once covered about one of. 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