A colonial empire is a collective of territories (often called

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

), either contiguous with the imperial center or located overseas, settled by the population of a certain

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

and governed by that state. Before the expansion of early modern European powers, other

empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

s had conquered and colonized territories, such as the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a la ...

, or the Chinese in what is now southern China. Modern colonial empires first emerged with a race of exploration between the then most advanced

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

an maritime powers,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, 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. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exch ...

, 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 operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private ...

that grew out of the European

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

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

imperialism Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power ( economic and ...

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 ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

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

classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations ...

, especially amongst the Phoenicians and the

Ancient Greeks Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

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 north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

, these colonies were politically independent from the city-states they originated from, and thus did not constitute a colonial empire. This paradigm shifted by the time of the Ptolemaic Empire, the Seleucid Empire, and the

History

European colonial empires

Portugal began establishing the first global trade network and one of the first colonial empires under the leadership of Henry the Navigator. 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 ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, territories such as what is now

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del 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 ...

and some fishing ports in north, in the Americas;

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

, Portuguese Guinea, and

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...

(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 or geography. Etymology The word ''no ...

and the Subsaharan

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

; cities, forts or territories in all the

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

n subcontinents, as Muscat, Ormus and

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

(amongst other bases) in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

; Goa,

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the sec ...

and

Daman and Diu Daman and Diu (; ) was a former union territory in northwestern India. With an area of , it was the smallest administrative subdivision of India on the mainland. The territory comprised two districts, Damaon and Dio island, geographically se ...

(amongst other coastal cities) in

; Portuguese Ceylon; Malacca, bases in Southeast Asia and

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

, as

Makassar Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian 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, Surabaya, ...

, Solor,

Banda Banda may refer to: People *Banda (surname) *Banda Prakash (born 1954), Indian politician *Banda Kanakalingeshwara Rao (1907–1968), Indian actor *Banda Karthika Reddy (born 1977), Indian politician *Banda Singh Bahadur (1670–1716), Sikh warr ...

Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a co ...

and others in the Moluccas, Portuguese Timor; and the granted '' entrepôt''-base of

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

and the entrepôt-enclave of Dejima ( Nagasaki) in

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

, amongst other smaller or short-lived possessions. Colonisation2

During its '' Siglo de Oro'', the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

had possession of

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, all of southern Italy, a stretch of territories from the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan ( it, Ducato di Milano; lmo, Ducaa de 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 family, which had been ruling the city sinc ...

to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...

, and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, parts of Burgundy, 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 oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

, the Americas, the

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

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

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...

and the Spanish Empire were conjoined in a

personal union A personal union is the combination of two or more State (polity), states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some e ...

of its Habsburg monarchs during the period of the ''Iberian Union'', but beneath the highest level of government, their separate administrations were maintained. Subsequent colonial empires included the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, English, Dutch and Japanese empires. By the mid-17th century, the Tsardom of Russia, continued later as the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

, the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, and modern Russian, became the largest contiguous state in the world and remains so to this day. Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, by virtue of its technological and maritime supremacy, the

British Empire 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. It began with the overseas possessions and trading post ...

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 to the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. During the New Imperialism, Italy and Germany also built their colonial empires in Africa.

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, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy ...

. * Blue represents that the empire is at that time a republic. 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) ** (1908–1960) ** Coat of arms of Ruanda-Urundi

Ruanda-Urundi (1922–1962) ** Belgian concession of Tianjin (1902–1931) *

(1707–1997/ present) ** Evolution of the British Empire; English colonial empire (1585–1707) **Possessions in Europe *** British Cyprus *** British Malta ***

British Ireland British rule in Ireland spanned several centuries and involved British control of parts, or entirety, of the island of Ireland. British involvement in Ireland began with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169. Most of Ireland gained indepe ...

*** United States of the Ionian Islands **Possessions in Africa *** Flag of British Somaliland (1952–1960)

British Somaliland (1884–1960) *** British Egypt (1914–1936) *** Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (1899–1956) *** Flag of Kenya (1895–1921)

East Africa Protectorate (1895–1920) *** Flag of Kenya (1921–1963)

Kenya Colony (1920–1963) *** Flag_of_the_Uganda_Protectorate

Uganda Protectorate (1894–1962) *** Flag of Tanganyika (1923–1961)

Tanganyika (territory) (1922–1961) *** Flag of Nyasaland (1925–1964)

Protectorate of

Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located 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 Nyasal ...

(1893–1964) *** Flag of Northern Rhodesia (1939–1964)

Protectorate of

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodes ...

(1924–1964) *** Flag of Southern Rhodesia (1924–1964)

Colony of

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked 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 k ...

(1923–1965), (1979–1980) ***

Bechuanaland Protectorate The Bechuanaland Protectorate () was a protectorate established on 31 March 1885, by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (later the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) in Southern Africa. It became the Republ ...

(1885–1966) *** Flag of Nigeria (1914–1952)

British Nigeria (1914–1954) *** Flag of the Gold Coast (1877–1957)

British Gold Coast (1867–1957) *** Flag of Sierra Leone (1916–1961)

British Sierra Leone (1808–1961) *** Flag of The Gambia (1889–1965)

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 pro ...

(1821–1965) ** Possessions in the Americas *** *** British West Indies ****

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the archi ...

****

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate ...

**** **** (1671–1816),(1833–1958) **** (1833–1960) **** **** Colony of Jamaica (1655–1962) **** Trinidad and Tobago **** *** (1862–1981) *** (1814–1966) *** Mosquito Coast (1638–1787), (1844–1860) **Possessions in South Asia *** (1757–1858) **** ****

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

****

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including th ...

*** (1858–1947) *** (1815–1948) *** (protectorate) (1907–1947) *** Sikkim (protectorate) (1861–1947) *** Kingdom of Nepal (protectorate) (1816–1923) *** (protectorate) (1879–1919) **Possessions in East Asia *** (1841–1997) *** Port Hamilton incident **Possessions in the Middle East *** (1820–1971) *** British Bahrain *** British Qatar (1916–1971) ***

British Iraq The Kingdom of Iraq under British Administration, or Mandatory Iraq ( ar, الانتداب البريطاني على العراق '), was created in 1921, following the 1920 Iraqi Revolt against the proposed British Mandate of Mesopotamia, a ...

(1920–1932) *** (1921–1946) *** (1920–1948) *** Sheikhdom of Kuwait (1899–1961) *** Aden Protectorate (1872–1963) *** Muscat and Oman (1892–1970) **Possessions in Southeast Asia ***

British Bencoolen British Bencoolen was a possession of the British East India Company (EIC) extending about 300 miles along the southwestern coast of Sumatra and centered on the area of what is now Bengkulu City. The EIC established a presence there in 1685, and ...

***

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

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

States and territories of Australia The states and territories are federated state, federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the Australian Government, federal government and local gov ...

(1901–present) ****The Australia, 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''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

and Nauru *** Realm of New Zealand (1907–present) ****The

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

, 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; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

. It was also nominal co-trustee of the mandate of Nauru. 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, Nukunon ...

. *** 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 ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...

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

Danish India Danish India () was the name given to the colonies of Denmark (Denmark–Norway before 1814) in the Indian subcontinent, forming part of the Danish colonial empire. Denmark–Norway held colonial possessions in India for more than 200 years, ...

(1620–1869) ** Danish Gold Coast (1658–1850) ** Danish colonization of the Americas: ***

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies ( da, Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Antilles or Danish Virgin Islands were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with ; Saint John ( da, St. Jan) with ; and Saint Croix with . The ...

(1754–1917) *** Greenland (1814–1979) * Dutch Empire (1602–1975/ Present) ** Dutch colonization of the Americas by : *** *** Dutch Guyana/Surinam *** Dutch Brazil *** Dutch Caribbean ** *** Dutch India *** **** *** Dutch Cape Colony (1652–1806) *** Dutch Formosa (1624–1662) * French colonial Empire (1534–1980/ present) ** French colonization of the Americas: *** France Antarctique (1555–1567) *** (1534–1763) and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

*** French Louisiana *** French West Indies (1635–today) *** Îles des Saintes (1648–present) ***

Marie-Galante Marie-Galante ( gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Mawigalant) is one of the islands that form Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of . It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 ...

(1635–present) *** la Désirade (1635–present) ***

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands— Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

(1635–present) ***

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island and an Overseas department and region, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of ...

(1635–present) ***

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

*** **Asia: *** French India (1664–1962) ***

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

and French Indochinese Union (1887–1954) **** Laos (protectorate) (1893–1953) **** Cambodia (protectorate) (1863–1953) ****

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

***** Cochinchina (Southern Vietnam) (1858–1949) ***** Annam (protectorate) (Central Vietnam) (1883–1949) ***** Tonkin (protectorate) (Northern Vietnam) (1884–1949 *** China **** The foreign concessions : French Concession of Shanghai (1849–1946), Tianjin (1860–1946) and Hankou (1898–1946) **** The Spheres of French influence officially recognized by China on the provinces of

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

, Guangxi,

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slight ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

**** Shamian Island (1859–1949) (a fifth of the island) ****

French Guangzhouwan The Leased Territory of Guangzhouwan, officially the , was a territory on the coast of Zhanjiang in China leased to France and administered by French Indochina. The capital of the territory was Fort-Bayard, present-day Zhanjiang. The Japan ...

(1898–1945) **Possessions in the Middle East *** Mandate for Syria and Lebanon (1920–1946) ** French Africa: *** French North Africa (1830–1934) and

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

*** French Morocco (1912–1956) *** French Tunisia (1886–1956) *** French Somaliland (1883–1967) *** French West Africa (1895–1958) *** French Madagascar (1897–1958) *** French Comoros (1866–1968) ***

French Equatorial Africa French Equatorial Africa (french: link=no, Afrique-Équatoriale française), or the AEF, was the federation of French colonial empire, French colonial possessions in Equatorial Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River into the Sahel, ...

(1910–1958) *** Isle de France (1715–1810) *** Seychelles (1756–1810) *** The Scattered Islands *** Reunion island (1710–present) ***

Mayotte Mayotte (; french: Mayotte, ; Shimaore language, Shimaore: ''Maore'', ; Bushi language, Kibushi: ''Maori'', ), officially the Department of Mayotte (french: Département de Mayotte), is an Overseas France, overseas Overseas departments and regi ...

(1841–present) **Oceania: *** (1906–1980) *** *** *** *** Clipperton island * German Empire (1884–1920) ** Kamerun (1884–1918) ** Togoland (1884–1916) **

German South West Africa German South West Africa (german: Deutsch-Südwestafrika) was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. With a total area of ...

(1884–1919) ** German New Guinea (1884–1919) **

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mo ...

(1885–1919) **

German Samoa German Samoa (german: Deutsch-Samoa) was a German protectorate from 1900 to 1920, consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i, Apolima and Manono, now wholly within the independent state of Samoa, formerly ''Western Samoa''. Samoa was the ...

(1900–1920) ** German Concession in Tientsin **German concession of Hankou ** German Tsingtao *** German Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory * Italian Empire (1882–1960) ** Eritrea COA

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

(1882–1947) ** Italian Somaliland COA

Somaliland (1889–1947, 1950–1960 as Italian Trust Territory of Somaliland) **

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...

(1936–1941) *** Scudo Africa Orientale Italiana

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

Cyrenaica (1912–1947) ** Tripolitana COA

Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...

(1912–1947) *** Coat of arms of Lybia (1940)

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

(formed by merging Cyrenaica and Tripolitania in 1934. It dissolved in 1947. It also included the Southern Military Territory of Fezzan) ** Blason Ordre Malte 3D

Italian Islands of the Aegean (1912–1947) **

Italian Albania Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

(1939–1943) ** Italian France (1940–1943) ** Italian Montenegro (1941–1943) ** Italian concession of Tientsin (1901–1947) *

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

(1354–1908) **Asia: *** Protectorate of Aceh (1496–1903) *** Ottoman Arabia (1517–1919) *** Ottoman Cyprus (1571–1878) *** Ottoman Iraq (1538–1918) *** Ottoman Syria (1517–1918) **Africa: *** (1867–1914) *** Ottoman Egypt (1517–1914) *** Ottoman Absinia (1554–1872) *** (1516–1830) *** (1551–1912) *** Ottoman Tunisia (1574–1881) **Europe: *** (1898–1913) *** (1475–1774) *** Ottoman Bosnia and Herzegovina (1463–1908) *** Ottoman Bulgaria (1396–1878) *** Ottoman Crete (1667–1898) *** Ottoman Greece (1453–1830) *** Ottoman Hungary (1541–1699) *** Ottoman Serbia (1371–1817) *** Rumelia Eyalet (1365–1867) *** Sanjak of Rhodes (1522–1912) *** United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (1859–1862) *

(1415–1999) **

Evolution of the Portuguese Empire This article is a comprehensive list of all the actual possessions of the Portuguese Empire. Europe Portuguese founded factories in various places in Europe, with a purely commerce-focused strategy, different from the other continents. * Antwer ...

** Portuguese colonization of the Americas *** Colonial Brazil (1500–1815) ** Coat of arms of Portuguese India (1951-1974)

Portuguese India The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a s ...

(1505–1961) ** Colonial Seal of Ceylon

Portuguese Ceylon (1598–1658) ** Coat of arms of Portuguese Timor (1951-1975)

Portuguese Timor (1702–1975) ** Portuguese Macau (1557–1999) ** Portuguese Malacca (1511–1641) **

Portuguese Nagasaki Portuguese Nagasaki and Ecclesiastical Nagasaki refer to the period during which the city of Nagasaki was under foreign administration, between the years of 1580 and 1587. Formally granted to the Jesuits, a representative of the Portuguese Crown wa ...

(1580–1587) ** Portuguese Oman (1507–1656) ** Tamão (1514–1521) **

Portuguese Africa Portuguese Africa may refer to: *African territories of the Portuguese Empire: **Portuguese Cape Verde ** Portuguese Congo **Portuguese East Africa **Portuguese Guinea **Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe **Portuguese West Africa ** Fort of São Jo ...

***

Coat of arms of Portuguese East Africa (1951-1975)

Portuguese East Africa Portuguese Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique) or Portuguese East Africa (''África Oriental Portuguesa'') were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese colony. Portuguese Mozambique originally ...

(1498–1975) *** Coat of arms of Portuguese West Africa (1951-1975)

Portuguese West Africa (1575–1975) *** Coat of arms of Portuguese Guinea (1951-1974)

Portuguese Guinea (1474–1974) *** Coat of arms of Portuguese Cape Verde (1951-1975)

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) *

(1721–1917) ** Russian conquest of Siberia ** Russian conquest of Central Asia ** Russian colonization of the Americas: *** Russian America (1733–1867) ** Sagallo (1889) ** Transcaucasia ** Russian Port Arthur ** Russian concession in Tientsin *

(1492–1825/1898) ** Spanish colonization of the Americas *** Viceroyalty of New Spain *** Viceroyalty of Peru *** Viceroyalty of New Granada ***

Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata ( es, Virreinato del Río de la Plata or es, Virreinato de las Provincias del Río de la Plata) meaning "River of the Silver", also called " Viceroyalty of the River Plate" in some scholarly writings, i ...

** Spanish East Indies (1565–1898) *** Captaincy General of the Philippines ** Spanish Africa *** 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 ( 1476–1524/1859–1969). ** Habsburg Spain possessions in Europe: *** Coat of arms of the House of Bourbon-Parma

Spanish Italy (1535–1713) *** Spanish Netherlands (1535–1713) * Swedish Empire (1638–1663, 1733, 1784–1878) ** Swedish colonies in the Americas *** New Sweden (1638–1655) *** Swedish colony of Saint Barthélemy (1784–1878) ***

(1813–1814) ** Swedish Gold Coast (1650–1658, 1660–1663) **

Swedish Africa Company The Swedish Africa Company ( sv, Svenska Afrikanska Kompaniet) was a Swedish trading company, founded in 1649 on the initiative of the Walloon-Dutch merchant Louis De Geer and his son Laurens, for whom Sweden had become a second home. The primar ...

** Swedish East India Company ** Parangipettai (1733) ** Swedish Factory, Canton Factories (1757–1860)
: * Japanese Empire (1868–1945) ** Ezo as

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

(1869–present) ** Ryukyu as

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest cit ...

(1879–1945 & 1972–present) ** Seal of the Government-General of Taiwan

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

(1895–1945) ** Emblem_of_Karafuto_Prefecture

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

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

(1910–1945) ** Emblem of the South Pacific Mandate

South Seas Mandate (1919–1947) ** (1932–1945) ** Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (1932–1945)
: *

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

(1817– present) ** United States territorial acquisitions ** American Colonization Society **

Colony of Liberia The Colony of Liberia, later the Commonwealth of Liberia, was a private colony of the American Colonization Society (ACS) beginning in 1822. It became an independent nation—the Republic of Liberia—after declaring independence in 1847. Early ...

(1821–1847) **

(1898–1946) ** United States Military Government in Cuba (1898–1902) ** United States Army Military Government in Korea (1945–1948) ** Ryukyu Islands (1950–1972) ** (1947–1994) ** American imperialism ** American Concession in Shanghai (1848–1863) ** American concession in Tianjin (1869–1902) **

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

( Coalition Provisional Authority) (2003–2004) * Habsburg monarchy

Colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

and the 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 The Austrian colonization of the Nicobar Islands (german: Nikobaren, renamed to the Theresia Islands 'Theresia-Inseln'' involved a series of three separate attempts by the Habsburg monarchy, and later the Austrian Empire, to colonize and settle ...

(1778–1785) **** Austrian Delagoa Bay (1773–1781) **** Móric Benyovszky's Madagascar (1774–1779) **** Austrian North Borneo ** Franz Josef Land ** Austro-Hungarian concession of Tianjin (1901–1917) ** Hungarian colonial attempts * Bulgarian Empire (1908–1946) ** Pirin Macedonia (1908–1918) ** Western Thrace (1923–1944) * Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1637–1795) and iniciatives ** Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (a Latvian vassal of Poland–Lithuania in 1637–1690): *** Couronian colonization in Africa *** Couronian colonization of the Americas ** Jaxa (1665–1685) ** Toco (1688–1689) ** Colonization attempts by Poland ** Polish occupation zone in Germany * German colonial initiatives (1683–1721) **

of Brandenburg-Prussia (1683–1721)Part of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

realm before 1804. **

County of Hanau The County of Hanau was a territory within the Holy Roman Empire, evolved out of the Lordship of Hanau in 1429. From 1456 to 1642 and from 1685 to 1712 it was divided into the County of Hanau-Münzenberg and the County of Hanau-Lichtenberg. ...

** Neu-Askania (1828–1856) ** German colonization of the Americas * Italy and the colonization of the Americas ** Grand Duchy of Tuscany: Thornton expedition (1608–1609) **

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...

: Kingdom of Africa (1135–1160) **

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

( Malta, a vassal of the Bandiera del Regno di Sicilia 4

): Hospitaller colonization of the Americas *

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

** List of possessions of Norway (1920–present) ** Erik the Red's Land ** 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 Bouvet Island ( ; or ''Bouvetøyen'') is an island claimed by Norway, and declared an uninhabited protected nature reserve. It is a subantarctic volcanic island, situated in the South Atlantic Ocean at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic ...

claimed in 1927, under Norway sovereignty since 1930.

Peter I Island Peter I Island ( no, Peter I Øy) is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Bellingshausen Sea, from continental Antarctica. It is claimed as a dependency of Norway and, along with Bouvet Island and Queen Maud Land, composes one of the thre ...

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. * Sweden-Norway (1814–1905) **

Cooper Island Cooper Island is a small island, long, which lies at the north side of the entrance to Drygalski Fjord, off the southeast end of South Georgia. It was discovered by a British expedition under James Cook in 1775, and named for Lieutenant Robe ...

(1844–1905) *

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a ...

(1621–1707) ** Scottish colonization of the Americas * Kingdom of Morocco (1086–1228; 1975–present) ** Al-Andalus ** Southern Provinces * Omani Empire (1652–1892) ** Yaruba dynasty (1624–1742) **

Sultanate of Muscat The Sultanate of Muscat and Oman ( ar, سلطنة مسقط وعمان, Salṭanat Masqaṭ wa-‘Umān), also known briefly as the State of Muscat and Oman () during the rule of Taimur bin Feisal, was a sovereign state that encompassed the prese ...

(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) * Tsardom of Russia,

, , and Russian Federation (1547–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1991) (1991–present) ** Russian Colonialism ** Soviet Empire ** Russian conquest of Siberia ** Soviet Central Asia * Chinese Empire (from

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

), (221 BC – 1911) ** Chinese imperialism *** Imperial Chinese Tributary System *** Guangxi ***

**** 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 The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

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) ***

(since the Han dynasty) ****

Nansha Islands The Spratly Islands ( fil, Kapuluan ng Kalayaan; zh, c=南沙群島/南沙群岛, s=, t=, p=Nánshā Qúndǎo; Malay, id, Kepulauan Spratly; vi, Quần đảo Trường Sa) are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Composed ...

**** Xisha Islands ***

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym "Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East ( Outer ...

(during the Tang, Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties) **** Inner Manchuria **** Outer Manchuria ***** Kuye Island *** Inner Mongolia *** Outer Mongolia (during the Tang, Liao, Yuan, Northern Yuan, and Qing dynasties) **** Tannu Uriankhai ***

(during the Qing dynasty) *** Tibet (during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties) ***

***

(during the Han, Xin, Eastern Wu, Jin, Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang, Sui, Tang, Wu Zhou, Southern Han, and Ming dynasties) *** Xinjiang ***

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former ...

(during the Tang, Western Liao, and Qing dynasties) **** Protectorate General to Pacify the West * Ethiopian colonies as the Aksum Empire ** Viceroyalty of Yemen (520–578) * Persian Empires **

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

(5th century BC–628; 1743–1747) **

(5th century BC–629; 1077–1253, 1330–1507) **

Sasanian Yemen Yemen (Middle Persian: ''Yaman'') was a province of the Sasanian Empire in Late Antiquity in southwestern Arabia. History Yemen was conquered in 570 by a small expeditionary ''aswaran'' force led by the Sasanian veteran Vahrez−the Himyarite pri ...

(570–628) * Aghlabids colonies as

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

vassals of

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Mutta ...

in Ifriqiya ** Southern Italy *** Emirate of Sicily *** Emirate of Bari ***

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

* Chola empire ** Srivijaya **

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

* Kingdom of Siam ** Kingdom of Vientiane (1778–1828) ** Kingdom of Luang Prabang (1778–1893) ** Kingdom of Champasak (1778–1893) ** Kingdom of Cambodia (1771–1867) **

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainla ...

(1821–1826) * (1799–1849) ** (1819–1846) ** (1834–1849) * ** Romanian concession in Sarandë *

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

** Y Wladfa * ** Liga Federal (1815–1820) **

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

(1820–1822) ** Riograndense Republic (1836–1845) ** Juliana Republic (1839–1845) ** Gobierno del Cerrito (1843–1851) ** Tierra del Fuego **

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and ...

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubou ...

(1829–1831, 1832–1833, 1982) ** Escudo_de_la_Provincia_de_Tierra_del_Fuego

Argentine Antarctica ** Misiones ** Formosa ** Puna de Atacama **

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

(1818) ** (1818) ** (1810–1816) ** Gonaïves,

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

* ** Clipperton Island ** Revillagigedo Islands **

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil and Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 124 municipalities ...

* ** ** Chilean Antarctic Territory ** Chiloé **

** Arica and Antofagasta *, ** Cisplatina **

Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

Maps

an: File:Belgian colonial empire.png, Belgian Empire File:The British Empire.png,

File:Denmark-Norway and possessions.png, Danish Empire File:DutchEmpire15.png, Dutch Empire File:English overseas possessions in 1700.png, English Empire File:EmpireFrench.png,

French Empire French Empire (french: Empire Français, link=no) may refer to: * First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon I from 1804 to 1814 and in 1815 and by Napoleon II in 1815, the French state from 1804 to 1814 and in 1815 * Second French Empire, led by Nap ...

File:German colonial.PNG, German Empire File:Italian Empire total.png, Italian Empire File:All areas of the world that were once part of the Portuguese Empire.png,

File:The Russian Empire-en.svg,

File:Spanish Empire and Empire of Charles V.svg,

File:Sveriges alla besittningar genom tiderna.png, Swedish Empire

n: File:Japanese Empire (orthographic projection).svg, Japanese Empire File:OttomanEmpireIn1683.png,

Other countries with colonial possessions: File:Außengebiete der Vereinigten Staaten.png, Directly controlled territory of the United States at its greatest extent (1898–1902) File:Norway About 1265.png, Norwegian Realm File:AustrianColonies.png, Austro-Hungarian colonies and concessions throughout history File:Deutsche Kolonien.PNG, German colonial efforts File:Rzeczpospolita voivodships.png, Duchy of Courland and Semigallia and its colonies as a vassal of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth File:Courland colonization Gambia.png, Couronian settlements in Africa File:Trinidad and Tobago-CIA WFB Map.png, Couronian settlements in Americas (New Courland on Tobago) File:Hospitaller colonization.png, Map of the Hospitaller order's territories in the Caribbean File:Corona aragonum 1441.svg, The

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

File:Scottish Colonies in North America.png, Scottish colonization of the Americas File:Map of Morocco and Western Sahara-fr.svg, Map of Morocco and Western Sahara with the Southern Provinces in a darker color. File:Rajendra map new.svg, Chola Empire File:Tang Dynasty Map (vi version).jpg, Chinese sphere of influence during

File:Kingdom of Aksum Map.png,

Aksum Empire The Kingdom of Aksum ( gez, መንግሥተ አክሱም, ), also known as the Kingdom of Axum or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom centered in Northeast Africa and South Arabia from Classical antiquity to the Middle Ages. Based primarily in wh ...

and its possessions in Yemen File:Areas under Omani influence 18th-19th century.svg, Omani Empire and its oversea possessions around the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

File:Timeline of Iran map.gif, Timeline of the

Persian Empires The history of Iran is intertwined with the history of a larger region known as Greater Iran, comprising the area from Anatolia in the west to the borders of Ancient India and the Syr Darya in the east, and from the Caucasus and the Eurasian Step ...

and its overseas possessions in Yemen, Oman or Bahrein. File:Aghlabids Dynasty 800 - 909 (AD)-es.svg, Aghlabids and its Arab colonies

Notes and references

External links

Visualizing western empires decline
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colonial Empire

Empires