List of British Empire Countries

List of British Empire Countries: At its zenith, the British Empire ruled over a quarter of the world’s population. Other Europeans—the French and the Dutch—had their empires as well, but the British Empire was the most widespread. In North America, the first British colonies were established, which were later expanded to the Caribbean Islands, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.

British colonization happened in two ways. First, there was settler colonialism, in which the British settled and eventually overtook the native people, such as they did in the Americas. Second, economic colonialism, in which they did not overtake the natives but used their resources and labor to enrich their homeland, such as they did in India and Africa, where they exploited the native natural resources and labor. Read below to find out the List of Countries Ruled by the British.

List of British Empire Countries

The British Empire

When the empire was being built, British people largely believed that they were improving, developing lands, and bringing order to non-white countries, which, due to racist attitudes, they thought were ‘uncivilized’ and ‘backward’. They believed they were doing the work of God by spreading Christianity, which they considered to be the ‘right’ religion.

The British Empire consisted of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states.

Colonial Influence of the British Empire

The colonial influence did not end as soon as the colonies gained independence. Instead, decolonization is a long and ongoing process, even in countries like the United States of America, which gained independence much before the other colonies. Many of the social evils present in the world can be traced back to colonialism, such as economic inequality between different parts of the world, racism, persecution of native people, erosion of native culture, and gender discrimination.

In the Americas, the native communities were reduced to a minority. Native people still continue to fight for equality and rights over their resources in the USA and Canada. Even now, in Africa and Asia, the shadow of economic exploitation and the seeds of division sown by the British can be seen. Unlike most taxes, which are invested back into society, money made from the East India Company’s taxes flowed back to Britain. For the British, India was a source of raw materials. The British also used money and men from India to further expand the Empire, as soldiers were recruited to fight overseas.

Much of the racism that persists today can be traced back to the West being rooted in colonial practices like slavery and the European notion of white people’s superiority over others. Slave labor fueled the overseas British plantations and the Industrial Revolution. Slavery made Britain quite wealthy. It provided slave owners with unpaid labor to farm expensive items like sugar, tobacco, and cotton, which they could sell for huge profits—at the expense of the enslaved people and their homelands. It also largely funded Britain’s Industrial Revolution.

List of Countries Ruled by the British

Three countries were carved out of British India: India, Pakistan, and later Bangladesh. Given below are the names of the countries which were formerly ruled by the United Kingdom & were a part of the British Empire along with their independence days.

Country	Year they gained Independence
1. Aden Protectorate	1967
2. Anglo-Egyptian Sudan	1956
3. Auckland Islands	1931
4. Bahamas	1973
5. Bahrain	1971
6. Bangladesh	1971 (From Pakistan)
7. Barbados	1966
8. Basutoland (Lesotho)	1966
9. Bechuanaland (Botswana)	1966
10. Bermuda	1995
11. Bechuanaland (Botswana)	1984
12. British Cameroon	1961
13. British East Africa (Kenya)	1963
14. British East Africa (Uganda)	1962
15. British Egypt	1922
16. British Guiana	1966
17. British Honduras (Belize)	1981
18. British India	1947
19. British Malaya (Malaysia)	1957
20. British Solomon Islands	1978
21. British Somaliland (Somalia)	1960
22. British Togoland	1957
23. British Western Pacific Territories	1976
24. Burma (Myanmar)	1948
25. Ceylon (Sri Lanka)	1948
26. Colonial Fiji	1970
27. Colonial Nigeria	1960
28. Colony of Newfoundland	1949 (Became a province of Canada)
29. Cyprus	1960
30. Emirate of Transjordan (Jordan)	1946
31. Gambia Colony & Protectorate	1965
32. Gilbert & Ellice Islands (Kiribati & Tuvalu)	1978
33. Gold Coast (Ghana)	1957
34. Helgoland	1890 (Now part of Germany)
35. Hong Kong	1997 (part of China)
36. Ionian Islands	1830
37. Ireland	1921
38. Island of St. John (Antigua & Barbuda)	1981
39. Jamaica	1962
40. Kingdom of Rarotonga (Cook Islands)	1965 (self-governing island state in free association with New Zealand)
41. Kingdom of Sarawak	1963 (now a state of Malaysia)
42. Leeward Islands	1983
43. Malta	1964
44. Mandatory Iraq	1932
45. Mandatory Palestine (Israel, Jordanian annexation of the West Bank, Palestine Protectorate)	1948
46. Menorca (Spanish Island)	1802 (now part of Spain)
47. Mosquito Coast	1860 (now part of Nicaragua & Honduras)
48. Muscat & Oman	1951
49. Nauru	1968
50. New Hebrides (Vanuatu)	1906
51. New South Wales	1901 (state in Australia)
52. Nigeria	1960
53. Niue	1974 (from New Zealand)
54. Northern Rhodesia (Zambia)	1964
55. Nyasaland (Malawi)	1964
56. Oregon Country	1846 (became a US territory, then a state)
57. Pakistan	1947
58. Phoenix Islands	1979 (now part of Kiribati)
59. Province of East Florida	1783 (became a Spanish colony, later a US territory
60. Province of Nova Scotia	1867 (one of the founding provinces of Canada)
61. Province of Quebec	1867 (one of the founding provinces of Canada)
62. Province of West Florida	1783 (became a Spanish colony, later a US territory
63. Qatar	1868
64. Queensland (state in Australia)	1901
65. Rupert’s Land	1869 (became part of the Canadian confederation)
66. Sheikhdom of Kuwait	1961
67. Sierra Leone	1961
68. Singapore (in 1965)	1963 (became a state of Malaysia, then separated)
69. Solomon Islands	1978
70. South Africa	1931
71. South Arabia	1932
72. South Australia	1901 (state in Australia)
73. South-West Africa	1931 (South Africa territory until 1990)
74. Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)	1980
75. Straits Settlements (Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo)	1946 (Separated & passed to other nations)
76. Sultanate of Zanzibar	1963
77. Swan River Colony	1901 (Western Australia, state in Australia)
78. Swaziland	1968
79. Tanganyika Territory (Tanzania)	1961
80. Territory of New Guinea	1975
81. Thirteen Colonies (USA)	1776
82. Tokelau	1949 (Became a territory of New Zealand)
83. Tonga	1970
84. Trucial States (Oman)	1951
85. Uganda Protectorate	1962
86. Unfederated Malay States	1957
87. Van Diemen’s Land	1856
88. Victoria (State in Australia)	1901
89. Western Samoa	1970
90. Windward Islands	1979

As of 2023, there are 15 Commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.

The Commonwealth of Nations, or just the Commonwealth, is another separate group of countries. Most of the members are former British colonies that come together for the promotion of human rights, democracy, and developmental goals. This group is separate from the Commonwealth realms, and member states of these groups do not necessarily have the British monarch as the head of state, such as India, which is a republic.

Conclusion

The British Empire was the largest empire in history, and at one point in time, it covered about one-quarter of all the land on Earth. Britain began colonizing the world back in the 16th century and spread its power through a strong army and by partnering with local authorities to conduct business. An empire is a group of colonies that are ruled by a single power, and while Britain itself has always been quite small in land mass and located far away from many of the places it governed, it succeeded in manifesting the largest empire in history.

FAQs on List of British empire countries

1. Define the British Empire.

The British Empire consisted of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. At its zenith, the British Empire ruled over a quarter of the world’s population. Other Europeans—the French and the Dutch—had their empires as well, but the British Empire was the most widespread. In North America, the first British colonies were established, which were later expanded to the Caribbean Islands, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.

2. Mention the ways in which the British colonization took place.

British colonization happened in two ways. First, there was settler colonialism, in which the British settled and eventually overtook the native people, such as they did in the Americas. Second, economic colonialism, in which they did not overtake the natives but used their resources and labor to enrich their homeland, such as they did in India and Africa, where they exploited the native natural resources and labor.

3. What do you mean by the Commonwealth?

The Commonwealth of Nations, or just the Commonwealth, is another separate group of countries. Most of the members are former British colonies that come together for the promotion of human rights, democracy, and developmental goals. This group is separate from the Commonwealth realms, and member states of these groups do not necessarily have the British monarch as the head of state, such as India, which is a republic.

4. Which nations are still part of the Commonwealth?

As of 2023, there are 15 Commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.

5. Name a few of the countries that were ruled by the British.

Countries that were formerly ruled by the United Kingdom were: Aden Protectorate, Auckland Islands, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bangladesh, Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Swaziland, Tonga, Qatar, Uganda Protectorate, and Western Samoa.