List of Countries that Colonized by British Empire

VIVA Militer: Pasukan Angkatan Bersenjata Inggris
Sumber :
  • forbes.com

VIVA – Britain is a country that has the most colonies compared to other countries. These countries were conquered in the fields of trade and politics. When Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952, more than 70 colonies were still under empire control, although not for long.

A study published in a book entitled All Countries We've Ever Invaded: And the Few Never Got Round To, by Stuart Laycock conveys that 90 percent of the countries in the world were colonized by Britain. Of the approximately 200 countries in the world today, only 22 countries have never been colonized by Britain Empire.

As a note, when the Britain Empire was at its golden peak there was a saying that "The sun never sets in the British Empire". This is because the Britain colony stretched from the East to the West of the globe.

Here’s the information about countries that were colonized by Britain that are important to know:

1. Hong Kong

Seorang polisi berjaga di bawah bendera China dan Hong Kong di Hong Kong, China

Photo :
  • ANTARA/Reuters/Tyrone Siu/as

The beginning of Hong Kong's dealing with Britain occurred in 1839. At that time, the Opium War between China or China against Britain was heating up. Then, China temporarily ceded Hong Kong to Britain.

However, in 1842, the initially agreed 'temporary' regulation turned into a permanent decree known as the "Nanjing Treaty" and in 1898 there was a modern dividing line between mainland China and Hong Kong.

VIVA Militer: Tentara India di wilayah Garis Aktual Kontrol (LAC)

Photo :
  • Hindustan Times

In the 19th century, India was under Britain rule. India was recorded to have carried out a rebellion in 1857 known as the "Indian Rebellion".

The rebellion lasted for a while before finally trying to expel the British failed. After World War II, Britain lost a lot of wealth and authority which led to the granting of independence to India.

3. Cuba

Kuba, salah satu negara yang menerapkan teori Negara Komunis.

Photo :
  • U-Report

In 1714, the British fleet under Admiral Edward Vernon was stranded at Guantanamo Bay. When stranded, Vernon changed the name Guantanamo to Cumberland Bay, before he left Cuba because of local resistance and a disease outbreak that attacked his men.

Then 21 years after the incident, the Cuban capital, Havana fell to the British in a bloody battle. But the Britain then returned Havana to Spain in 1763.

4. Iceland

VIVA Militer: Pasukan Pertahanan Islandia

Photo :
  • grapevine.is

The country was invaded in 1940 by British troops after the neutral nation refused to join the allies in World War II. The assault force of 745 marines met strong protests from the Icelandic government but met no resistance.

VIVA Militer: Menhan RI Prabowo disambut upacara jajar kehormatan di Vietnam

Photo :
  • Dok. Pribadi Menhan RI Prabowo

Vietnam has also been attacked by the Britain several times since the 17th century. The last attempt was in 1945-1946 when Britain launched a campaign to wrest the country from communist control.

However, Britain involvement in Vietnam was overshadowed by a larger conflict between France and the United States.

6. Canada

Petugas polisi mengawasi lokasi penembakan di Langley, British Columbia, Kanada, Senin 25 Juli 2022.

Photo :
  • Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP.

The Britain Empire ruled over northern America beginning around 1860. The last provinces to join since the confederation of 1867 were Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949 and Nunavut in 1999.

At first, all of Canada was controlled by France. However, France ceded almost all of its territory to England after the wars between the French and Indians that erupted four times since 1689.