A colonial empire is a

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

engaging in

colonization 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...

, possibly establishing or maintaining

colonies A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often or ...

, infused with some form of coloniality and

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

. Such states can expand contiguous as well as overseas. Colonial empires may set up colonies as settler colonies. Before the expansion of early modern European powers, other

empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

s had conquered and colonized territories, such as the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

in Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. Modern colonial empires first emerged with a race of exploration between the then most advanced

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an maritime powers,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, during the 15th century. The initial impulse behind these dispersed maritime empires and those that followed was

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

, driven by the new ideas and the

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

that grew out of the European

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. Agreements were also made to divide the world up between them in 1479, 1493, and 1494. European

imperialism Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...

was born out of competition between European Christians and Ottoman Muslims, the latter of which rose up quickly in the 14th century and forced the Spanish and Portuguese to seek new trade routes to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and to a lesser extent, China. Although colonies existed in

classical antiquity Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural History of Europe, European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the inter ...

, especially amongst the

Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...

ns and the

ancient Greeks Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...

who settled many islands and coasts of the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, these colonies were politically independent from the

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world throughout history, including cities such as Rome, ...

s they originated from, and thus did not constitute a colonial empire. This paradigm shifted by the time of the Ptolemaic Empire, the

Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great ...

, and the

. The European countries of the

modern era The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

that are most remembered as colonial empires are the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

History

European colonial empires

Portugal began establishing the first global trade network and one of the first colonial

empires An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred t ...

under the leadership of

Henry the Navigator Princy Henry of Portugal, Duke of Viseu ( Portuguese: ''Infante Dom Henrique''; 4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry the Navigator (), was a Portuguese prince and a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese ...

. The empire spread throughout a vast number of territories distributed across the globe (especially at one time in the 16th century) that are now parts of 60 different sovereign states. Portugal would eventually control

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, territories such as what is now

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

and some fishing ports in north, in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

;

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea (), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a Portuguese overseas province in West Africa from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as G ...

, and

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main isla ...

(among other territories and bases) in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and the Subsaharan

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

; cities, forts or territories in all the

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

n subcontinents, as

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

, Ormus and

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

(amongst other bases) in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

; Goa,

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

and Daman and Diu (amongst other coastal cities) in

;

Portuguese Ceylon Portuguese Ceylon (; ; ) is the name given to the territory on Ceylon, modern-day Sri Lanka, controlled by the Portuguese Empire between 1597 and 1658. Portuguese presence in the island lasted from 1505 to 1658. Their arrival was largely accide ...

;

Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...

, bases in Southeast Asia and

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

, as

Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...

, Solor, Banda, Ambon and others in the Moluccas, Portuguese Timor; and the granted ''

entrepôt An entrepôt ( ; ) or transshipment port is a port, city, or trading post where merchandise may be imported, stored, or traded, usually to be exported again. Such cities often sprang up and such ports and trading posts often developed into comm ...

''-base of

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

and the entrepôt-enclave of Dejima (

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

) in

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

, amongst other smaller or short-lived possessions. Colonisation2

During its ''

Siglo de Oro The Spanish Golden Age (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Siglo de Oro'', , "Golden Century"; 1492 – 1681) was a period of literature and the The arts, arts in Spain that coincided with the political rise of the Spanish Empire under the Catholic M ...

'', the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

had possession of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, all of

southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

, a stretch of territories from the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan (; ) was a state in Northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti of Milan, Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, ...

to the

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, and

, parts of

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

, and many colonial settlements in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Possessions in Europe, Africa, the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, the Americas, the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, and East Asia qualified the Spanish Empire as attaining a global presence. From 1580 to 1640 the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

and the Spanish Empire were conjoined in a

personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...

of its Habsburg monarchs during the period of the ''Iberian Union'', but beneath the highest level of government, their separate administrations were maintained. World 1898 empires colonies territory

Subsequent colonial empires included the English, Dutch and French empires. Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, by virtue of its technological and maritime supremacy, the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

steadily expanded to become by far the largest empire in history; at its height ruling over a quarter of the Earth's land area and 24% of the population. Britain's role as a global hegemon during this time ushered in a century of " British Peace", lasting from the end of the

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (sometimes called the Great French War or the Wars of the Revolution and the Empire) were a series of conflicts between the French and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompas ...

to the start of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. During the

New Imperialism In History, historical contexts, New Imperialism characterizes a period of Colonialism, colonial expansion by European powers, the American imperialism, United States, and Empire of Japan, Japan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ...

, Italy and Germany also built their colonial empires in Africa, while

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

started to encroach into former Chinese domains after they have settled their own

reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

Timeline

The chart below shows the span of some European colonial empires. * Black lines mark the year of the empires largest territorial extent of land area. * Red represents that the empire is at that time a

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

. * Blue represents that the empire is at that time a

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. ImageSize = width:750 height:450 PlotArea = width:650 height:350 left:50 bottom:50 DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1400 till:2000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:50 start:1400 # there is no automatic collision detection, # so shift texts up or down manually to avoid overlap Colors= id:red value:red Define $dx = 25 # shift text to right side of bar Define $dy = -5 # adjust height PlotData= bar:Belgian color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1908 till:1962 shift:($dx,-2) color:red at:1928 mark: (line,black) bar:British color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1707 till:1997 shift:($dx,-2) color:red at:1920 mark: (line,black) bar:Danish color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1536 till:1953 shift:($dx,-2) color:red at:1810 mark: (line,black) bar:Dutch color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1602 till:1806 shift:($dx,-2) color:blue from:1806 till:1975 shift:($dx,-2) color:red at:1806 mark: (line,red) at:1930 mark: (line,black) bar:English color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1585 till:1649 shift:($dx,-2) color:red from:1649 till:1660 shift:($dx,-2) color:blue from:1660 till:1707 shift:($dx,-2) color:red at:1649 mark: (line,blue) at:1660 mark: (line,red) at:1707 mark: (line,black) bar:French color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1534 till:1792 shift:($dx,-2) color:red from:1792 till:1814 shift:($dx,-2) color:blue from:1814 till:1870 shift:($dx,-2) color:red from:1870 till:1980 shift:($dx,-2) color:blue at:1792 mark: (line,blue) at:1814 mark: (line,red) at:1870 mark: (line,blue) at:1920 mark: (line,black) bar:German color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1884 till:1918 shift:($dx,-2) color:red at:1912 mark: (line,black) bar:Italian color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1885 till:1946 shift:($dx,-2) color:red from:1946 till:1960 shift:($dx,-2) color:blue at:1946 mark: (line,blue) at:1939 mark: (line,black) bar:Portuguese color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1415 till:1999 shift:($dx,-2) color:red from:1910 till:1999 shift:($dx,-2) color:blue at:1910 mark: (line,blue) at:1815 mark: (line,black) bar:Russian color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1721 till:1917 shift:($dx,-2) color:red at:1895 mark: (line,black) bar:Spanish color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1492 till:1931 shift:($dx,-2) color:red from:1931 till:1947 shift:($dx,-2) color:blue from:1947 till:1975 shift:($dx,-2) color:red at:1873 mark: (line,blue) at:1874 mark: (line,blue) at:1931 mark: (line,blue) at:1810 mark: (line,black) at:1947 mark: (line,blue) bar:Swedish color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7 from:1638 till:1663 shift:($dx,-2) color:red from:1784 till:1878 shift:($dx,-2) color:red at:1658 mark: (line,black)

List of colonial empires

: * Belgian Empire (1908–1962) ** Possessions in Africa *** (1908–1960) *** Coat of arms of Ruanda-Urundi

Ruanda-Urundi (1922–1962) ** Possessions in Asia *** Seal of the Belgian concession of Tianjin

Belgian concession of Tianjin (1902–1931) *

(1707–1997/

present The present is the period of time that is occurring now. The present is contrasted with the past, the period of time that has already occurred; and the future, the period of time that has yet to occur. It is sometimes represented as a hyperplan ...

) ** Evolution of the British Empire; Angevin Empire; English colonial empire (1585–1707) ** Possessions in Europe ***

British Cyprus British Cyprus (Modern Greek, Greek: Βρετανική Κύπρος; Turkish language, Turkish: ''Britanya Kıbrısı'') was the island of Cyprus under the dominion of the British Empire, administered sequentially from 1878 to 1914 as a British ...

*** British Malta *** British Ireland *** United States of the Ionian Islands *** British Gibraltar *** British Minorca *** Flag of British Heligoland

British Heligoland **Possessions in Africa ***

British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate (), was a protectorate of the United Kingdom in modern Somaliland. It was bordered by Italian Somalia, French Somali Coast and Ethiopian Empire, Abyssinia (Italian Ethiopia from 1936 ...

(1884–1960) *** British Egypt (1914–1936) ***

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ( ') was a condominium (international law), condominium of the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day South Sudan and Sudan. Legally, sovereig ...

(1899–1956) *** East Africa Protectorate (1895–1920) ***

Kenya Colony The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa, was part of the British Empire in Africa from 1920 until 1963. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a Brit ...

(1920–1963) *** Uganda Protectorate (1894–1962) *** Tanganyika (territory) (1922–1961) *** Protectorate of

Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. After ...

(1893–1964) *** Protectorate of

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in Southern Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North ...

(1924–1964) *** Colony of

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...

(1923–1965), (1979–1980) *** Coat_of_arms_of_Bechuanaland_Protectorate

Bechuanaland Protectorate The Bechuanaland Protectorate () was a British protectorate, protectorate established on 31 March 1885 in Southern Africa by the United Kingdom. It became the Botswana, Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966. History Scottish missionary ...

(1885–1966) *** British Nigeria (1914–1954) ***

British Gold Coast The Gold Coast was a British Empire, British Crown colony on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa from 1821 until its independence in 1957 as Ghana. The term Gold Coast is also often used to describe all of the four separate jurisdictions that w ...

(1867–1957) *** British Sierra Leone (1808–1961) ***

British Gambia The Gambia Colony and Protectorate was the British colonial administration of The Gambia from 1821 to 1965, part of the British Empire in the New Imperialism era. The colony was the immediate area surrounding Bathurst (now Banjul), and the ...

(1821–1965) ** Possessions in the Americas ***

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America. The Thirteen C ...

***

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were the territories in the West Indies under British Empire, British rule, including Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Antigua and Barb ...

****

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

****

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

**** **** (1671–1816),(1833–1958) **** (1833–1960) **** ****

Colony of Jamaica The Crown Colony of Jamaica and Dependencies was a British colony from 1655, when it was Invasion of Jamaica (1655), captured by the The Protectorate, English Protectorate from the Spanish Empire. Jamaica became a British Empire, British colon ...

(1655–1962) ****

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

**** *** (1862–1981) *** (1814–1966) *** Kingdom of Mosquitia (1638–1860) ** Possessions in South Asia British_Indian_Empire_Imperial_Gazetteer_of_India_1908_High_Resolution

British_Indian_Empire_Imperial_Gazetteer_of_India_1908_High_Resolution

*** (1757–1858) *** (1858–1947) *** (1815–1948) ***

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

(protectorate) (1907–1947) ***

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

(protectorate) (1861–1948) ***

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

(protectorate) (1816–1923) ** Possessions in East Asia *** (1841–1997) ** Possessions in the Middle East *** (1820–1971) *** British Bahrain (1861-1971) *** British Qatar (1916–1971) *** British Iraq (1920–1932) (1932–1958) *** (1921–1946) ***

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

(1920–1948) *** Sheikhdom of Kuwait (1899–1961) *** Aden Protectorate (1872–1963) ***

Muscat and Oman The Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (), also known briefly as the State of Muscat and Oman () during the rule of Taimur bin Feisal, was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day Sultanate of Oman and parts of present-day United Arab Emir ...

(1892–1970) *** Emirate of Afghanistan (protectorate) (1879–1947) ** Possessions in Southeast Asia *** British Bencoolen ***

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

*** British Borneo ** Dominions of the United Kingdom *** *** ***

States and territories of Australia The states and territories are the national subdivisions and second level of government of Australia. The states are partially sovereignty, sovereign, administrative divisions that are autonomous administrative division, self-governing polity, ...

(1901–present) ****

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

itself a colony that gradually increased its independence in 1901, 1942 and 1986, was tasked with the government of multiple other British colonies and territories and the mandates of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and

Nauru Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies within the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, with its nearest neighbour being Banaba (part of ...

***

Realm of New Zealand The Realm of New Zealand is the area over which the monarch of New Zealand is head of state. The realm is not a federation but is a collection of states and territories united under its monarch. New Zealand is an independent and sovereign sta ...

(1907–present) ****

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

itself a colony that gradually increased its independence in 1907, 1947 and 1986, was tasked with the government of multiple other British colonies and territories and the mandate of

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

. It was also nominal co-trustee of the mandate of

. The remaining non-self-governing New Zealand territory is

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, an ...

. *** Mandates under South African administration (1915–1990) **** The South-West Africa mandate was governed by the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

, that itself a colony that gradually increased its independence in 1910, 1931 and 1961. * Danish Empire (1620–1979/

) **

Danish India Danish India () was the name given to the forts and Factory (trading post), factories of Denmark (Denmark–Norway before 1814) in the Indian subcontinent, forming part of the Danish overseas colonies. Denmark–Norway held colonial possessions ...

(1620–1869) **

Danish Gold Coast The Danish Gold Coast ( or ''Dansk Guinea'') comprised the colonies that Denmark–Norway controlled in Africa as a part of the Gold Coast (region), Gold Coast (roughly present-day southeast Ghana), which is on the Gulf of Guinea. It was coloni ...

(1658–1850) ** Danish colonization of the Americas: *** Danish West Indies (1754–1917) ***

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

(1814–1979) *

Dutch Empire The Dutch colonial empire () comprised overseas territories and trading posts under some form of Dutch control from the early 17th to late 20th centuries, including those initially administered by Dutch chartered companies—primarily the Du ...

(1602–1975/

) **

Dutch colonization of the Americas The Netherlands began its colonization of the Americas with the establishment of trading posts and plantations, which preceded the much wider known colonization activities of the Dutch in Asia. While the first Dutch fort in Asia was built in 16 ...

by : *** *** Dutch Guyana/Surinam ***

Dutch Brazil Dutch Brazil (; ), also known as New Holland (), was a colony of the Dutch Republic in the northeastern portion of modern-day Brazil, controlled from 1630 to 1654 during Dutch colonization of the Americas. The main cities of the colony were the c ...

(1630-1654) ***

Dutch Caribbean The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the New World territories, colonies, and countries (former and current) of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea, mainly the norther ...

***

Dutch Gold Coast The Dutch Gold Coast or Dutch Guinea, officially Dutch possessions on the Coast of Guinea (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Nederlandse Bezittingen ter Kuste van Guinea'') was a portion of contemporary Ghana that was gradually colonized by the Dutch (et ...

(1612-1872) ** ***

Dutch India Dutch India () consisted of the settlements and trading posts of the Dutch East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. It is only used as a geographical definition, as there was never a political authority ruling all Dutch India. Instead, D ...

***

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

**** *** Dutch Cape Colony (1652–1806) *** Dutch Formosa (1624–1662) *** Dutch Ceylon (1640-1796) *** Dutch Malacca (1641-1795) (1818-1825) *** Dejima (1641–1854) *** Dutch Mauritius (1638–1710) * French colonial empire, French Empire (1534–1980/Overseas France, present) ** French colonization of the Americas: *** France Antarctique (1555–1567) *** (1534–1763) and Quebec *** French Louisiana *** French West Indies (1635–today) **** Îles des Saintes (1648–present) **** Marie-Galante (1635–present) **** la Désirade (1635–present) **** (1635–present) **** (1635–present) *** *** Saint Pierre and Miquelon ** Asia: *** French India (1664–1962) *** French Indochina and French Indochinese Union (1887–1954) **** French Protectorate of Laos, Laos (protectorate) (1893–1953) **** French Protectorate of Cambodia, Cambodia (protectorate) (1863–1953) **** Vietnam ***** French Cochinchina, Cochinchina (Southern Vietnam) (1858–1949) ***** Annam (French protectorate), Annam (protectorate) (Central Vietnam) (1883–1949) ***** Tonkin (French protectorate), Tonkin (protectorate) (Northern Vietnam) (1884–1949) *** China **** The foreign concessions : French Concession of Shanghai (1849–1946), Concessions in Tianjin#French concession .281860–1946.29, Tianjin (1860–1946) and Hankou (1898–1946) **** The spheres of French influence officially recognized by China on the provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan, and Guangdong **** Shamian Island (1859–1949) (a fifth of the island) **** French Guangzhouwan (1898–1945) ** Possessions in the Middle East *** Mandate for Syria and Lebanon (1920–1946) ** Françafrique, French Africa: *** French North Africa (1830–1934) *** French Algeria *** French protectorate in Morocco, French Morocco (1912–1956) *** French protectorate in Tunisia, French Tunisia (1886–1956) *** French Somaliland (1883–1975) *** French West Africa (1895–1958) *** French Madagascar (1882–1958) *** Territory of the Comoros, French Comoros (1866–1968) *** French Equatorial Africa (1910–1958) *** Isle de France (Mauritius), Isle de France (1715–1810) *** Seychelles (1756–1810) *** The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, Scattered Islands *** Réunion, Reunion (1710–present) *** Mayotte (1841–present) ** Oceania: *** (1906–1980) *** *** *** Wallis and Futuna *** Clipperton Island * German colonial empire, German Empire (1884–1920) ** German Cameroon, Kamerun (1884–1918) ** Togoland (1884–1916) ** German South West Africa (1884–1919) ** German New Guinea (1884–1919) ** German East Africa (1885–1919) ** German Samoa (1900–1920) ** Foreign concessions in Tianjin#German concession (1899–1917), German Concession in Tientsin ** German concession of Hankou ** Qingdao#German and Japanese occupations, German Tsingtao *** German Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory * Italian Empire (1882–1960) ** Italian Eritrea, Eritrea (1882–1947) ** Italian Somaliland COA

Italian Somaliland, Somaliland (1889–1947, 1950–1960 as Trust Territory of Somaliland, Italian Trust Territory of Somaliland) ** Italian Ethiopia, Ethiopia (1936–1941) *** Scudo Africa Orientale Italiana

Italian East Africa (formed by merging Eritrea, Somaliland and Ethiopia: 1936–1947) ** Italian Cyrenaica, Cyrenaica (1912–1947) ** Tripolitana COA

Italian Tripolitania, Tripolitania (1912–1947) *** Italian Libya, Libya (Formed by merging Cyrenaica and Tripolitania in 1934. It dissolved in 1947. It also included the Southern Military Territory, Southern Military Territory of Fezzan) ** Arms of the Italian Islands of the Aegean

Arms of the Italian Islands of the Aegean

Italian Islands of the Aegean (1912–1947) ** Italian protectorate of Albania (1939–1943), Italian Albania (1939–1943) ** Italian occupation of France, Italian France (1940–1943) ** Italian governorate of Montenegro, Italian Montenegro (1941–1943) ** Italian concession of Tientsin (1901–1947) *

(1415–1999) ** Evolution of the Portuguese Empire ** Portuguese colonization of the Americas *** Colonial Brazil (1500–1815) ** Portuguese India (1505–1961) **

(1598–1658) ** Portuguese Timor (1702–1975) ** Portuguese Macau (1557–1999) ** Portuguese Malacca (1511–1641) ** Portuguese Nagasaki (1580–1587) ** Portuguese Oman (1507–1656) ** Tamão (1514–1521) ** Portuguese Africa (disambiguation), Portuguese Africa *** Portuguese East Africa (1498–1975) *** Portuguese West Africa (1575–1975) ***

(1474–1974) (1974–1975) *** Portuguese Cape Verde (1462–1975) *** Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe (1470–1975) *** Fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá (1721–1961) *** Portuguese Gold Coast (1482–1642) * Russian Empire (1721–1917) **Grand Duchy of Finland, Finland ** Russian conquest of Siberia, Siberia ** Russian conquest of the Caucasus, Caucasus ** Russian conquest of Central Asia, Central Asia ** Russian colonization of North America: *** Russian America (1733–1867) ** Sagallo (1889) ** Lüshunkou District#Late-19th century colonial era, Russian Port Arthur ** Russian concession of Tianjin, Russian concession in Tientsin *

(1492–1825/1898-1975) ** Spanish colonization of the Americas *** New Spain, Viceroyalty of New Spain *** Viceroyalty of Peru *** Viceroyalty of New Granada *** Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata ** Spanish East Indies (1565–1898) *** Captaincy General of the Philippines *** Spanish Formosa (1626-1642) ** Spanish Africa (disambiguation), Spanish Africa *** Coat of Arms of the Portuguese and Spanish Guinea

Coat of Arms of the Portuguese and Spanish Guinea

Spanish Guinea (1778–1968) *** Coat of Arms of the Spanish Sahara

Spanish Sahara (1884–1975) *** Spanish protectorate in Morocco (1912–1956) *** Coat of Arms of the Spanish Province of Sidi Ifni

Ifni (Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña, 1476–1524/1859–1969). *** Plazas de soberanía (European enclaves in North Africa before 1830, Enclaves in North Africa) **** Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña (1478–1524) **** Mers El Kébir#History, Spanish Mazalquivir (1505–1708, 1732–1792) **** Spanish Oran (1509–1708, 1732–1792) **** Spanish Tripoli (1510–1530) **** Béjaïa#A coveted city, Spanish Béjaïa (1510–1555) **** Peñón of Algiers, Peñón de Algiers (1510–1529) **** Tunis#Spanish occupation and Ottoman control, Spanish Tunisia (1535–1569, 1573–1574) **** Cession of Larache, Spanish Larache (1610–1689) **** Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera (1508–present) **** Melilla (1497–present) **** Ceuta (1578/1668–present) ** Possessions of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Habsburg Spain and House of Bourbon (Spain), Spanish House of Bourbon in Europe: *** Supreme Council of Flanders, Spanish Burgundian lands **** Spanish Netherlands (1555–1713) ***** Seventeen Provinces, Spanish Holland (1555–1581) ***** Habsburg Netherlands, Spanish Belgium (1555–1713) ***** History of Luxembourg#Habsburg (1477–1795) and French (1795–1815) rule, Spanish Luxembourg (1555–1713) **** County of Burgundy, Franche-Comté (1555–1678) **** Blason Charolais

Charolais, France, Charolais (1555–1678) **** Upper Alsace (1617–1648) **** Palatinate campaign, Spanish Palatinate (1620–1652) *** Council of Italy, Spanish Italy **** Cross of Alcoraz Arms

Kingdom of Sardinia (1479–1713), Spanish conquest of Sardinia, 1717–1720) **** Great Royal Coat of Arms of the Two Sicilies

(1479–1713), History of Bourbon Sicily, 1734–1815) **** Great Royal Coat of Arms of the Two Sicilies

(1503–1713), 1734–1806) **** (1524–1641) **** State of the Presidi (1557–1708) **** Coat of arms of the House of Bourbon-Parma

(1559–1706) **** Marquisate of Finale (1602–1713) **** Valtellina#Early modern period, Spanish Grischun (1620–1639) **** Principality of Piombino (1628–1634) **** Coat of arms of the House of Bourbon-Parma

Duchy of Parma and Piacenza (1734–1738, 1748–1796, 1847–1854) **** Coat of arms of the House of Bourbon-Parma

(1801–1807) **** Coat of arms of the House of Bourbon-Parma

Duchy of Lucca (1815–1847) **** Great Royal Coat of Arms of the Two Sicilies

(1815–1860) * Swedish overseas colonies, Swedish Empire (1638–1663, 1733, 1784–1878) ** Swedish colonies in the Americas *** New Sweden (1638–1655) *** Swedish colony of Saint Barthélemy (1784–1878) *** Guadeloupe (1813–1814) ** Swedish Gold Coast (1650–1658, 1660–1663) ** Swedish Africa Company ** Swedish East India Company ** Parangipettai (1733) ** Swedish Factory, Canton Factories (1757–1860)
: * Japanese colonial empire, Empire of Japan (1868–1945) ** Ezo as Hokkaido (1869–present) ** Ryukyu Kingdom, Ryukyu as Okinawa Prefecture (1879–1945; 1972–present) ** Seal of the Government-General of Taiwan

Seal of the Government-General of Taiwan

Taiwan under Japanese rule, Taiwan (1895–1945) ** Emblem of Karafuto

Karafuto Prefecture (1905–1949) ** Seal of the Government-General of Korea

Korea under Japanese rule, Korea (1910–1945) ** Emblem of the South Pacific Mandate

South Seas Mandate (1919–1947) ** (1932–1945) ** Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (1932–1945) * Ottoman Empire (1354–1908) ** Europe: *** (1898–1913) *** (1475–1774) *** Ottoman Albania (1479–1912) *** Ottoman Bosnia and Herzegovina (1463–1908) *** Ottoman Bulgaria (1396–1878) *** Ottoman Crete (1667–1898) *** Ottoman Cyprus (1571–1878) *** Ottoman Greece (1453–1830) *** Ottoman Hungary (1541–1699) *** Ottoman Serbia (1459–1804) *** Rumelia Eyalet (1365–1867) *** Sanjak of Rhodes (1522–1912) *** United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (1859–1862) ** Asia: *** Aceh Sultanate, Protectorate of Aceh (1496–1903) *** Ottoman Arabia (1517–1919) *** Ottoman Iraq (1538–1918) *** Ottoman Syria (1517–1918) *** Emirate of Nejd (1818-1914) ** Africa: *** (1867–1914) *** Turco-Egyptian Sudan (1820–1885) *** Ottoman Egypt (1517–1914) *** Habesh Eyalet, Ottoman Absinia (1554–1872) *** (1516–1830) *** (1551–1912) *** Ottoman Tunisia (1574–1881)
: * United States (1857–Territories of the United States, present) ** U.S. overseas territories: *** United States Minor Outlying Islands, Minor Outlying Islands (1857–present) *** (1900–present) *** (1899–present) **** Naval Government of Guam (1899–1950) *** (1986–present) *** (1899–present) **** Military Government of Porto Rico (1899–1900) **** Insular Government of Porto Rico (1900–1952) *** (1917–present) ***

(1899–1946) **** Military Government of the Philippine Islands (1899–1902) **** Insular Government of the Philippine Islands (1902–1935) **** Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935–1946) *** Flag of Hawaii

Republic of Hawaii (1898–1900) *** Swan Islands, Honduras, Swan Islands (1863–1972) ** U.S.-administered areas: *** Canton and Enderbury Islands (1939–1979) *** Corn Islands (1914–1971) *** Nanpō Islands and Minamitorishima, Marcus Island (1952–1968) *** Panama Canal (Panama Canal Zone, Zone) (1903–1999) *** Ryukyu Islands and Daitō Islands (United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands, 1952–1972) *** (1947–1994) * Israel, State of Israel (1948–present) ** Zionism as settler colonialism *** West Bank (1967–present) *** Gaza Strip (1967–2005; 2023–present) *** Golan Heights (1967–present) *** Sinai Peninsula (1967–1982) * Habsburg monarchy Austrian colonial policy, Colonies and the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire (1719–1750, 1778–1783, 1901–1917) ** Austrian colonial policy *** Ostend Company **** Bankipur (Bengal) **** Covelong *** Austrian East India Company **** Austrian colonisation of Nicobar Islands (1778–1785) **** History of Maputo#Austrian colonization, 1770s, Austrian Delagoa Bay (1773–1781) **** Móric Benyovszky, Móric Benyovszky's Madagascar (1774–1779) **** North Borneo, Austrian North Borneo ** Franz Josef Land ** Austro-Hungarian concession of Tianjin (1901–1917) ** Hungarian colonial attempts * Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1637–1795) ** Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (a Latvia, Latvian vassal of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1637–1690): *** Couronian colonization, Couronian colonization in Africa *** Couronian colonization of the Americas * List of former German colonies, German colonial initiatives (1683–1721) ** List of former German colonies#Prussia, Colonies of Brandenburg-Prussia (1683–1721)Part of the Holy Roman Empire realm before 1804. ** Hanauish Indies, Colonies of Wappen Hanau 2

County of Hanau ** Askania-Nova (urban-type settlement), Neu-Askania (1828–1856) ** German colonization of the Americas *** Klein-Venedig (1528–1546) * Pre-Unification of Italy, unification Italian colonialism ** Grand Duchy of Tuscany: Thornton expedition (1608–1609) ** Kingdom of Sicily: Kingdom of Africa (1135–1160) ** Knights Hospitaller (History of Malta under the Order of Saint John, Malta, a vassal of the Bandiera del Regno di Sicilia 4

Kingdom of Sicily): Hospitaller colonization of the Americas ** : Genoese colonies ** : Stato da Màr * Norway, Kingdom of Norway ** List of possessions of Norway (1920–present) ** Erik the Red's Land ** Dependencies of Norway, Norway Antarctic and sub-Antarctic possessions (1927–1957)The dependencies of Norway are uninhabited, thus as end date is taken the latest date of full Norwegian sovereignty extension to such territory, instead of the date of decolonization or integration in the administrative structures of the mainland. Bouvet Island claimed in 1927, under Norway sovereignty since 1930.
Peter I Island claimed in 1929, under Norway sovereignty since 1933.
Queen Maud Land claimed in 1938, under Norway sovereignty since 1957.
Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land fall under the scope of the Antarctic Treaty System since 1961. * Kingdom of Scotland (1621–1707) ** Scottish colonization of the Americas * Chile, Republic of Chile (1888–1966) ** Easter Island * Kingdom of Morocco (1975–present) ** Southern Provinces * Omani Empire (1652–1892) ** Yaruba dynasty (1624–1742) ** Sultanate of Muscat (1652–1820) ** (taken by Oman in 1698, became capital of the Omani Sultanate or Empire from 1632 or 1640; until 1890) ** Mombasa (1698–1728, 1729–1744, 1837–1890) ** Gwadar (1783–1958) * History of China#Imperial China, Chinese Empire (from Qin dynasty to Qing dynasty), (221 BC – 1911) ** *** Tributary system of China, Imperial Chinese Tributary System *** Guangxi *** Hainan (since the Han dynasty) **** Spratly Islands, Nansha Islands **** Paracel Islands, Xisha Islands *** Manchuria (during the Tang, Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties) **** Manchuria (Northeast China) **** Outer Manchuria ***** Sakhalin, Kuye Island *** Korea **** Canghai Commandery(A commandery that self subjugated to Han dynasty from Dongye) **** Four Commanderies of Han (Established after the fall of Gojoseon) **** Daifang Commandery (Offshoot of the former four commanderies of Han that existed in the 3rd to 4th century) **** Colonization attempts of the Tang dynasty after Unification of the three kingdoms of Korea (Gyerim Territory Area Command, Protectorate General to Pacify the East and Ungjin Commandery) **** Dongnyeong Prefectures, Ssangseong Prefectures and Tamna prefectures (Yuan dynasty) *** Inner Mongolia *** Outer Mongolia (during for example the Tang and Qing dynasties) **** Tuva, Tannu Uriankhai *** Taiwan (during the Qing dynasty) *** Tibet (during the Yuan and Qing dynasties) *** Yunnan *** Chinese domination of Vietnam, Vietnam (from the Han to Tang dynasties, and during the early Ming dynasty) *** Xinjiang *** Central Asia (during the Tang and Qing dynasties) **** Protectorate General to Pacify the West * Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopian colonies as the Kingdom of Aksum#Kaleb of Axum, Saint Elesbaan, Aksum Empire and Abyssinian empire ** Ancient history of Yemen#Kingdom of Ḥimyar (2nd century BCE – 525 CE), Viceroyalty of Yemen (520–578) ** Menelik II's conquests, Ethiopian South-Eastern colonization (1878–present) *** Somali Region, Ethiopian Somali *** Oromia *** Gambela Region, Gambela *** Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Southern Nations ** Ethiopian-Eritrean Federation, Ethiopian-Eritrean/Eritrea Province (1952–1993) * Persian Empire (disambiguation), Persian Empires ** History of Oman#Persian period, Oman (5th century BC–628; Afsharid conquests in the Persian Gulf and Oman, 1743–1747) **

(5th century BC–629; Uyunid dynasty, 1077–1253, Ormus#New Hormuz, 1330–1507) ** Sasanian Yemen (570–628) ** Bijapur Sultan (1490-1686) ** Persianization of regions within Greater Iran * Rashidun Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate and Abbasid Caliphate ** Umayyad Al-Andalus (Arab Hispania) *** Umayyad invasion of Gaul, Umayyad Gaul (Arab Southern France) ** Arab migrations to the Maghreb, Arab Maghreb ** Aghlabids colonies from Ifriqiya *** History of Islam in southern Italy, Southern Italy **** Emirate of Sicily **** Emirate of Bari **** Islam in Malta#History, Malta **Al-Jazira (caliphal province), Al-Jazira (Arab Mesopotamia) ***Al-Awasim **Arabs in Iran, Arab Iran ***Arabistan (Iran), Arabistan ***Khamseh **Central Asian Arabic, Arab Central Asian ***Khorasani Arabs, Arab Khorasan **Arminiya, Arminiya (Arab Caucasus) * Chola empire, Chola Empire ** Srivijaya#Under the Cholas, Srivijaya ** Chola conquest of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka * (1799–1849) ** (1819–1846) ** Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1834–1849)

Notes and references

External links