Portal:British Empire

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The British Empire Portal

British Empire, 1897
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

At its height in the 19th and early 20th century, it was the largest empire in history and, for a century, was the foremost global power. By 1913, the British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23 percent of the world population at the time, and by 1920, it covered 35.5 million km2 (13.7 million sq mi), 24 per cent of the Earth's total land area. As a result, its constitutional, legal, linguistic, and cultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power, it was described as "the empire on which the sun never sets", as the sun was always shining on at least one of its territories.

During the

Mughal Bengal at the Battle of Plassey
in 1757.

The

First World War
, during which Britain relied heavily on its empire. The conflict placed enormous strain on its military, financial, and manpower resources. Although the empire achieved its largest territorial extent immediately after the First World War, Britain was no longer the world's preeminent industrial or military power.

In the
British sovereignty. After independence, many former British colonies, along with most of the dominions, joined the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of independent states. Fifteen of these, including the United Kingdom, retain the same person as monarch, currently King Charles III. (Full article...)

Selected article - show another

The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) are the 14 territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, while not forming part of the United Kingdom itself, are part of its sovereign territory. The permanently inhabited territories are delegated varying degrees of internal self-governance, with the United Kingdom retaining responsibility for defence, foreign relations and internal security, and ultimate responsibility for good governance. All of the territories are inhabited by civilians, except three that are chiefly or only inhabited by military or scientific personnel. All fourteen have the British monarch as head of state. These UK government responsibilities are assigned to various departments of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and are subject to change. (Full article...)

Selected image

Painting credit: Joshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds, George Clive and his family with an Indian maid, painted 1765. Size: 55 by 67 inches (140 by 171 cm). Staatliche Museen, Munich, Germany.

Did you know

Related portals

Commonwealth Realm


Other former British territories

Evolution of the British Empire

This Map of the world animates the Empire's rise and fall.

Subcategories

Category puzzle
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories

WikiProjects

British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations

Legend

Current territory  ·   Former territory

* now a Commonwealth realm  ·   now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations

18th century
1708–1757  Menorca
since 1713  Gibraltar
1782–1802  Menorca

19th century
1800–1964  Malta
1807–1890  Heligoland
1809–1864  Ionian Islands
1878–1960  

Cyprus

20th century
since 1960  Akrotiri and Dhekelia

16th century
1583–1907  Newfoundland

17th century
1607–1776  Thirteen Colonies
since 1619  Bermuda
1670–1870  Rupert's Land

18th century

Canada (British Imperial)

   1763–1791  Quebec
   1791–1841  Lower Canada
   1791–1841  Upper Canada

19th century

Canada (British Imperial)

   1841–1867  Province of Canada
   1849–1866  Vancouver Island
   1858–1866  Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)
   1866–1871  Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871)
   1859–1870  North-Western Territory
   1862–1863  Stickeen Territories
*Canada (post-Confederation)
   1867–1931  
Dominion of Canada
1

20th century
*Canada (post-Confederation)
   1907–1934  Dominion of Newfoundland2

1 In 1931, Canada and other British

Commission of Government
.

17th century
1605–1979  *Saint Lucia
1623–1883  Saint Kitts (*Saint Kitts & Nevis)
1624–1966  *Barbados
1625–1650  Saint Croix
1627–1979  *St. Vincent and the Grenadines
1628–1883  Nevis (*Saint Kitts & Nevis)
1629–1641  

St. Andrew and Providence Islands
3
since 1632  Montserrat
1632–1860  Antigua (*Antigua & Barbuda)
1643–1860  
Bay Islands

since 1650  Anguilla
1651–1667  Willoughbyland (Suriname)
1655–1850  Mosquito Coast (protectorate)
1655–1962  *Jamaica
since 1666  British Virgin Islands
since 1670  Cayman Islands
1670–1973  *Bahamas
1670–1688  
St. Andrew and Providence Islands
3
1671–1816  Leeward Islands

18th century
1762–1974  *Grenada
1763–1978  Dominica
since 1799  Turks and Caicos Islands

19th century
1831–1966  British Guiana (Guyana)
1833–1960  Windward Islands
1833–1960  Leeward Islands
1860–1981  *Antigua and Barbuda
1871–1964  British Honduras (*Belize)
1882–1983  *St. Kitts and Nevis
1889–1962  Trinidad and Tobago

20th century
1958–1962  West Indies Federation

3 Now the

San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia

18th century
1792–1961  Sierra Leone
1795–1803  Cape Colony

19th century
1806–1910  Cape Colony
1816–1965  Gambia
1856–1910  Natal
1868–1966  Basutoland (Lesotho)
1874–1957  Gold Coast (Ghana)
1882–1922  Egypt
1884–1966  Bechuanaland (Botswana)
1884–1960  British Somaliland
1887–1897  Zululand
1888–1894  Matabeleland
1890–1980  Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)
1890–1962  Uganda
1890–1963  Zanzibar (Tanzania)
1891–1964  Nyasaland (Malawi)
1891–1907  

British Central Africa

1893–1968  
Swaziland

1895–1920  
British East Africa

1899–1956  Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

20th century
1900–1914  Northern Nigeria
1900–1914  Southern Nigeria
1900–1910  Orange River Colony
1906–1954  Nigeria Colony
1910–1931  South Africa
1911–1964  Northern Rhodesia (Zambia)
1914–1954  Nigeria Protectorate
1915–1931  South West Africa (Namibia)
1919–1960  

Cameroons (Cameroon)
 4
1920–1963  Kenya
1922–1961  
Tanganyika (Tanzania)
 4
1954–1960  Nigeria
since 1965  British Indian Ocean Territory

4 League of Nations mandate

18th century
1757–1947  Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh)
1762–1764  Philippines
1786-1826  Penang
1795–1948  Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
1796–1965  Maldives

19th century
1819–1826  Singapore
1826–1946  Straits Settlements
1839–1967  Aden Colony
1841–1997  

Hong Kong

1841–1941  
Kingdom of Sarawak

1848–1946  Labuan
1858–1947  British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma)
1882–1946  British North Borneo
1885–1946  Unfederated Malay States
1891–1971  Muscat and Oman protectorate
1892–1971  Trucial States protectorate
1895–1946  Federated Malay States
1898–1930  Weihai Garrison

20th century
1918–1961  Kuwait protectorate
1920–1932  

Iraq
4
1921–1946  Transjordan4
1923–1948  
Palestine
4
1946–1948  Malayan Union
1946–1963  Sarawak (Malaysia)
1946–1963  North Borneo (Malaysia)
1948–1957  Federation of Malaya (Malaysia)

4 League of Nations mandate

18th century
1788–1901  New South Wales
1794–1843  Sandwich Islands (Hawaii)

19th century
1803–1901  Van Diemen's Land / Tasmania
1807–1863  Auckland Islands6
1824–1980  New Hebrides (Vanuatu)
1824–1901  Queensland
1829–1901  Swan River Colony / Western Australia
1836–1901  South Australia
since 1838  Pitcairn Islands
1840–1907  *Colony of New Zealand
1850–1901  

Victoria (Australia)

1874–1970  Fiji5
1877–1976  British Western Pacific Territories
1884–1949  Territory of Papua
1888–1965  Cook Islands6
1888–1984  Sultanate of Brunei
1889–1948  
Union Islands (Tokelau)
6
1892–1979  Gilbert and Ellice Islands7
1893–1978  British Solomon Islands8

20th century
1900–1970  Tonga (protected state)
1900–1974  Niue6
1901–1942  *Commonwealth of Australia
1907–1953  *Dominion of New Zealand
1919–1949  Territory of New Guinea
1949–1975  Territory of Papua and New Guinea9

5 Suspended member
6 Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand
7 Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu
8 Now the *Solomon Islands
9 Now *Papua New Guinea

17th century
since 1659  St. Helena

19th century
since 1815  Ascension Island9
since 1816  Tristan da Cunha9
since 1833  Falkland Islands11

20th century
since 1908  British Antarctic Territory10
since 1908  South Georgia and
                    the South Sandwich Islands
10, 11

9 Dependencies of St. Helena since 1922 (Ascension Island) and 1938 (Tristan da Cunha)
10 Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands)
11 Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April–June 1982

Things to do


Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
  • John Fendall, Jr.

British overseas territories

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: