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British Empire

The British Empire was the largest empire in history, and for a substantial time was the foremost global power. It was a product of the European age of discovery, which began with the maritime explorations of the 15th century, that sparked the era of the European colonial empires.

By 1921, the British Empire held sway over a population of about 458 million people, approximately one-quarter of the world's population. It covered about 36.6 million km² (14.2 million square miles), about a quarter of Earth's total land area. As a result, its legacy is widespread: in legal and governmental systems, economic practice, militarily, educational systems, sports (such as cricket, rugby, golf and football), traffic practices (such as driving on the left), and in the global spread of the English language. At the peak of its power, it was often said that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" because its span across the globe ensured that the sun was always shining on at least one of its numerous colonies or subject nations.

During the five decades following World War II, most of the territories of the Empire became independent. Many went on to join the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of independent states.

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In the 19th century the British, Dutch, French, Indians and Americans saw Imperial China as the world's largest untapped market. In 1840 the British Empire launched their first and one of the most aggressive expeditionary forces to claim the territory that would later be known as Hong Kong. In a few decades, Hong Kong was transformed from rocky undeveloped mountainous terrain to a major entrepot for global trade. By means of the First and Second Opium Wars and the resultant series of treaties, the British were able to legitimately claim the territory until 1997. Early social and economic problems existed in the colony, as there were drastic differences between Eastern and Western philosophy and culture. Nonetheless, Hong Kong seized the opportunity to become one of the first parts of East Asia to industrialise and modernise.

One observer summed up the decades as "politics, propaganda, panic, rumour, riot, revolution and refugees". The role of Hong Kong as a political safe haven for Chinese political refugees further cemented its status, and few serious attempts to revert its ownership were launched in the early 20th century. Both Chinese Communist and Nationalist agitators found refuge in the territory, when they did not actively participate in the turmoil in China. However, the dockworkers strikes in the 1920s and 1930s were widely attributed to the Communists by the authorities, and caused a backlash against them. A strike in 1920 was ended with a wage increase of HKD 32 cents.

When modern China began after the fall of the last dynasty, one of the first political statements made in Hong Kong was the immediate change from long queue hairstyles to short haircuts. In 1938, Guangzhou fell to the hands of the Japanese, Hong Kong was considered a strategic military outpost for all trades in the far east. Though Winston Churchill assured that Hong Kong was an "impregnable fortress", it was taken as a reality check response since the British Army actually stretched too thin to battle on two fronts.

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An anachronous map of British and, prior to the Union of the Crowns, English imperial possessions

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...that the Singapore Stone (fragment pictured), a sandstone slab bearing an undeciphered 13th century inscription, was blown up by the British in 1843 to make way for a fort?
...that Ethel Benjamin was the first woman in the British Empire to present a legal case in court?
...that Major Sir Hamish Forbes, 7th Baronet was awarded the MBE (Military Division) for his many escape attempts while a prisoner-of-war in Germany from 1940 to 1945, and was later patron of the Lonach Highlanders?
...that Albert F. A. L. Jones, awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1987 for his services to astronomy, is an amateur astronomer in New Zealand?
...that the first shot fired by British Empire forces in World War I was targeted at the German ship Pfalz which was departing Melbourne, Australia as Britain declared war on Germany?

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James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie, KT, PC (April 22, 1812 – December 19, 1860) was a British statesman, and a colonial administrator in India.

Born in Dalhousie Castle, Scotland, he crowded into his relatively short life conspicuous public service in the United Kingdom, and established an unrivalled position among the master-builders of the Indian empire. Denounced on the eve of his death and to this day by some as having failed to notice the signs of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and even having aggravated the crisis by his overbearing self-confidence, centralising activity, and reckless annexations. (more...)

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Evolution of the British Empire

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

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► Colonialism

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History
- Former countries
- Colonialism
  - British Empire

British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations

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Legend

Current territory · Former territory

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

Europe

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

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

20th century
since 1960 Akrotiri and Dhekelia

North America

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 1858–1871 British Columbia 1859–1870 North-Western Territory 1862–1863 Stikine Territory *Canada (post-Confederation) 1867–1931 Dominion of Canada¹	20th century *Canada (post-Confederation) 1907–1934 Dominion of Newfoundland²
¹ In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. "Dominion" remains Canada's legal title; see Canada's name. ² Remained a de jure dominion until 1949 (when it became a Canadian province); from 1934 to 1949, Newfoundland was governed by the Commission of Government.

Latin America and the Caribbean

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 Islands³ 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 Islands³ 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

Africa

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

Asia

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 Colony of Aden 1841–1997 Hong Kong 1841–1941 Kingdom of Sarawak 1858–1947 British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma) 1882–1963 British North Borneo (Malaysia) 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 Iraq⁴ 1921–1946 Transjordan⁴ 1923–1948 Palestine⁴ 1946–1948 Malayan Union 1946–1963 Sarawak (Malaysia) 1948–1957 Federation of Malaya (Malaysia)
⁴ League of Nations mandate

Oceania

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

Antarctica and South Atlantic

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

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