Flag of colonial Hong Kong, a Blue Ensign with the colony's coat of arms.

After a series of Chinese defeats during the First Opium War (1839-1842) at the hands of Capt. Charles Elliot of the Royal Navy and Capt. Anthony Blaxland Stransham of the Royal Marines, Hong Kong Island was occupied by the British on January 20, 1841. The island was first used by the British as a staging post during the war, and while the East India Company intended to establish a permanent base on the island of Zhoushan, Elliot took it upon himself to claim the island on a permanent basis. At the time Hong Kong island had a population of about 6,000 people, mostly Tanka fishermen and Hakka charcoal burners living in a number of coastal villages [1]. The ostensible authority for the occupation was negotiated between Captain Eliot and the Governor of Kwangtung Province. The Convention of Chuenpeh was concluded but had not been recognized by the court of Qing Dynasty at Beijing. Chinese people in Hong Kong have adopted many western folkways, but a substantial number of them still adhere to traditional Chinese traditions on various aspects of social living; for instance family solidarity, “courtesy and face” in interpersonal relationship. ... Politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by the Peoples Republic of China, an own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hong_Kong_1959. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hong_Kong_1959. ... The modern Blue Ensign of the United Kingdom The British Blue Ensign (1707–1801) English Blue Ensign as it appeared in the seventeenth century. ... Combatants Qing China British East India Company Commanders Unknown Charles Elliot, Anthony Blaxland Stransham The First Opium War or the First Anglo-Chinese War was fought between Great Britain and the Qing Empire in China from 1839 to 1842 with the aim of forcing China to import British opium. ... Charles Elliot, also Charles Elliott (義律, b. ... General Sir Anthony Blaxland Stransham, GCB, (d. ... The night view of the Island side as seen from the Kowloon side - the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Island (Traditional Chinese: 香港島; Simplified Chinese: 香港岛; Cantonese Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 dou2; Mandarin Pinyin: XiānggÇŽngdÇŽo) is the island where the colonial settlement of the Hong Kong territory... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... East India Company was the name of several historic European companies chartered with the monopoly of trading with Asia for their respective countries. ... Zhoushan (Simplified Chinese: 舟山; Pinyin: ), formerly transliterated as Chusan, is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, Peoples Republic of China. ... Guangdong (Simplified Chinese: 广东; Traditional Chinese: 廣東; pinyin: Guǎngdōng; Wade-Giles: Kuang-tung; Kwangtung in older transliteration; Cantonese: gwong2 dung1), is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Under this convention, China would need to cede Hong Kong Island to Britain in 1841. ...

Subsequently, Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain in 1842 under the Treaty of Nanking, at which point in time the territory became a Crown Colony. As there existed no official contact on the ambassadorial level between the Qing court and the British government until 1860, the governor of Hong Kong also served as the British plenipotentiary in the far east in the early years. The post of governor was established in 1843 and in the same year, a legislative council was established. 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Nanking, August 29, 1842, Peace Treaty between the Queen of Great Britain and the Emperor of China The Treaty of Nanking (Chinese: 南京條約, Nánjīng Tiáoyuē) is the agreement which marked the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China. ... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... The term plenipotentiary (from the Latin, plenus + potens, full + power) refers to, as a noun, a person who has, or as an adjective that confers, full powers. ... The far east as a cultural block includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and South Asia. ... Are you kidding?, this is solid truth here, nothing escapes the eyes of Gov!!!, not even. ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The Opium War was ostensibly fought to liberalize trade to China. With a base in Hong Kong, British traders, opium dealers, and merchants launched the city which would become the 'free trade' nexus of the East. American opium traders and merchant bankers soon joined in the trade (See Russell family; Perkins family; Forbes family). Arms of the Dukes of Bedford from 1485 to the present day The titles of Earl or Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) were created several times in the peerage of England. ... John Perkins Cushing (April 22, 1787 - 1862), called Ku-Shing by the Chinese, was a very wealthy Boston sea merchant, opium smuggler, and philanthropist. ... This article is about the Forbes family related to US Senator John Kerry. ...

Britain was granted a perpetual lease on the Kowloon Peninsula under the 1860 Convention of Beijing, which formally ended hostilities in the Second Opium War (1856-1858). In 1862, Hong Kong had an estimated population of 120,000. The Kowloon Peninsula, commonly referred to as Kowloon, is a peninsula, in the south of the mainland part of the Hong Kong territory. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... The Convention of Peking (October 18, 1860), also known as the First Convention of Peking, was a treaty between the Qing Government of China and the British Empire, and between China and France, and China and Russia. ... The Second Opium War or Arrow War was a war of the United Kingdom and France against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856 to 1860. ...

During the 1890s, an epidemic of bubonic plague broke out in southern China. In the spring of 1894, about 100,000 dead were reported from Guangzhou. In May 1894, the disease erupted in Hong Kong's overcrowded Chinese quarter of Tai Ping Shan. At its height, the epidemic was killing 100 people per day in Hong Kong, and it killed a total of 2,552 people that year. The disease was greatly detrimental to trade and produced a temporary exodus of 100,000 Chinese from the colony. Plague continued to be a problem in the territory for the next 30 years. 1,290 people died of the disease between 1898 and 1900. Bubonic plague is the best-known variant of the deadly infectious disease plague, which is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Tai Ping Shan can refer to: Victoria Peak, Hong Kong the tenant areas near Tai Ping Shan Street 太平山街 on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

A de facto segregation existed between the European minority and the Chinese majority, many of whom moved to the area from southern China to work in its bustling trade. The establishment of the free port made Hong Kong a major entrepot from the start, yet, in no small part due to the inability for the British administrators to communicate with much of the population due to the language barrier, the society became segregated and polarized. Despite the slow rise of a British-educated Chinese upper class, by the late 19th Century there existed a de jure barring of the Chinese on Victoria Peak. The Chinese were seldom active within the British administration of Hong Kong until the 1960s. De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... A free port (porto franco) or free zone (US: Foreign-Trade Zone) is a port or area with relaxed jurisdiction with respect to the country of location. ... An entrepôt is a trading centre, or simply a warehouse, where merchandise can be imported and re-exported without paying import duties. ... Language barrier is a figurative phrase for the difficulties of learning a new language. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up De jure in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The terms de jure and de facto are used instead of in principle and in practice, respectively, when one is describing political situations. ... The view of Hong Kong, Kowloon and Victoria Harbour from the top of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong Island Victoria Peak or The Peak (太平山頂, 扯旗山, 爐峯, Tai Ping Shan, Mount Austin; usually referred to locally in Cantonese by the nickname Shàn Déng, 山頂, literally mountain peak) is a mountain in the...

The Chinese society had no official governmental help throughout much of the early years, and local, private welfare organizations such as hospitals and missionaries took over as powerful central figures of society. The small number of Chinese elite also had considerable influence during this time. A hospital today is an institution for professional health care provided by physicians and nurses. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ...

In 1898, the United Kingdom, concerned that Hong Kong could not be defended unless surrounding areas were also under British control, executed a 99-year lease of the New Territories, significantly expanding the size of the Hong Kong colony. The lease would expire at midnight, on June 30, 1997. 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... A major road, Kwong Fuk Road in Tai Po, a town in the New Territories. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1914, despite an exodus of 60,000 Chinese fearing an attack on the colony after the World War I, Hong Kong's population begins its evermore claustrophobic climb - to 530,000 in 1916, 725,000 in 1925 and 1.6 million by 1941. 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

The role of Hong Kong as a political safe haven for Chinese political refugees further cemented its status, and few serious attempts to revert its ownership were launched in the early 1900s. Both Chinese Communist and Nationalist agitators found refuge in the territory, which did not actively participate in the turmoil in China at the time period when they did not directly cause trouble in Hong Kong. However, the dockworkers strikes in the 1920s and 1930s were widely attributed to the Communists by the authorities, and caused a backlash against the them. Refugees arrive in Travnik, central Bosnia, during the war, 1993. ... Communist Party of China flag The Communist Party of China (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; pinyin: Zhōnggu ngchǎndǎng) is the ruling party of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ...

World War II and the Japanese Occupation

Main articles: Battle of Hong Kong and Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong

The development of Hong Kong was disturbed by the Japanese rule during World War II. Combatants British Army Canadian Army British Indian Army Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Mark Aitchison Young Sakai Takashi Strength 15,000 troops 50,000 troops Casualties 4,500 killed 8,500 POWs 2,750 killed 1,500 wounded For the movie, see The Battle of Hong Kong (film). ... The Japanese prostitutes of Hong Kong began when the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

The British, Canadians, Indians and the Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Forces (HKVDF) resisted the Japanese invasion commanded by Sakai Takashi which started on December 8, 1941, a few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor (which had started earlier the same morning at 03:23 Japan Standard Time). The defensive positions were doomed from the start; the Japanese achieved air superiority on the first day of battle and the defensive forces were outnumbered. The British and the Indians retreated from the Gin Drinker's Line and consequently from Kowloon under heavy aerial bombardment and artillery barrage. Fierce fighting continued on Hong Kong Island; the only reservoir was lost. Canadian Winnipeg Grenadiers fought at the crucial Wong Nai Chong Gap that secured the passage between downtown and the secluded southern parts of the island. Takashi Sakai (酒井 隆 Sakai Takashi; 1887–September 30, 1946) was a General in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He commanded the Japanese Army at the Battle of Hong Kong and was later captured and sentenced to death for war crimes. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Husband Kimmel (USN), Walter Short (USA) Chuichi Nagumo (IJN), Mitsuo Fuchida (IJNAS) (1st aerial wave), Shigekazu Shimazaki (IJNAS) (2nd aerial wave) Strength 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 9 submarines, ~50 other ships, ~390 planes 6 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, 9... Japan Standard Time (日本標準時 or 中央標準時) is the standard timezone in Japan that is 9 hours ahead of UTC; i. ... Air superiority is the dominance in the air power of one side air forces of another side during a military campaign. ... Gin Drinkers Line (醉酒灣防線) or Gin Drinkers Line was a British military defence line against Japanese invasion in Hong Kong, 1941. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and... The night view of the Island side as seen from the Kowloon side - the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Island (Traditional Chinese: 香港島; Simplified Chinese: 香港岛; Cantonese Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 dou2; Mandarin Pinyin: XiānggÇŽngdÇŽo) is the island where the colonial settlement of the Hong Kong territory... Reservoirs in Hong Kong: Plover Cove Reservoir High Island Reservoir Shing Mun Reservoir (also Jublilee Reservoir) Lower Shing Mun Reservoir Tai Tam Reservoirs Pok Fu Lam Reservoir This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... The Winnipeg Grenadiers was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces formed in 1908. ...

Japanese soldiers marching along Queen's Road on Hong Kong Island in December 1941.

On December 25, 1941 - which has gone down in history as Black Christmas to local people - British colonial officials headed by the Governor of Hong Kong Mark Aitchison Young surrendered in person at the Japanese headquarters on the third floor of (the hotel) The Peninsula Hong Kong. Isogai Rensuke became the first Japanese governor of Hong Kong. This ushered in the three years and eight months of Imperial Japanese administration. The Chinese population who lived through the Japanese occupation simply refer to this period as "Three Years and Eight Months" (san nian ling ba ge yue, 三年零八個月). Image File history File links Jap_occupy_hk. ... Image File history File links Jap_occupy_hk. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining for the year. ... This article is about the year. ... Governor of Hong Kongs Flag, 1959–1997 The Governor of Hong Kong (香港總督 / 港督) was a British official who ruled Hong Kong during the colonial period between 1841 and 1997 and was ex-officio Commander-in-Chief and Vice-Admiral of Hong Kong. ... Sir Mark Aitchison Young Sir Mark Aitchison Young (30 June 1886 - 12 May 1974) was a British administrator who became the Governor of Hong Kong during the years immediately before and after World War II. // Early Life, Service in War Young was educated at Eton and Kings College, Cambridge. ... The Peninsula The Peninsula Hong Kong (香港半島酒店) is one of the most famous hotels in the world. ... Isogai Rensuke (磯谷廉介, 1886 - 1967) was a General of the Japanese Army in the World War II period. ...

During the Japanese occupation, runaway inflation and food rationing became the norm of daily lives. The Hong Kong Dollar was replaced by the Japanese Military Yen, a new currency issued by the Japanese Imperial Army administration. Historians estimate that as many as 10,000 women were raped in the first few days after Hong Kong's capture. The Japanese administration turned the city into a military base, summarily executing many residents suspected of opposing them. According to Philip Snow, a prominent historian of the period, the Japanese cut rations for civilians to conserve food for soldiers, usually to starvation levels and deported many to famine- and disease-ridden areas of the mainland, and even exiled some on uninhabited islands. Most of the repatriated actually had come to Hong Kong just a few years earlier to flee the terror of the Second Sino-Japanese War in mainland China. Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services: it restricts how much people are allowed to buy or consume. ... The Hong Kong dollar (currency code HKD) is the currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, and has been the currency of Hong Kong since 1937. ... Japanese Military Yen (JMY) was the currency issued to Japanese occupied territories during World War II. This article will focus on the JMY issued in Hong Kong (HK). ... The highlighted area in the map is what is commonly known as mainland China. Mainland China (Simplified Chinese: 中国大陆; Traditional Chinese: 中國大陸; pinyin: Zhōnggúo Dàlù; literally The Chinese Massive Landmass or Continental China) is an informal (disputed — see talk page) geographical term which is usually synonymous with the area... Combatants Republic of China Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Tse-Tung, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Zhu De, He Yingqin Hideki Tojo, Matsui Iwane, Jiro Minami, Kesago Nakajima, Toshizo Nishio, Yasuji Okamura. ...

By the end of the war in 1945, the population of Hong Kong shrunk to 600,000, less than half of the pre-war population of 1.5 million.

Post-war colonial Hong Kong

Hong Kong Coat of Arms (1959-1997)

After the end of World War II and the communist takeover of mainland China in 1949, hundreds of thousands of people emigrated from mainland China to Hong Kong. However its position as an entrepot to mainland China was hurt significantly by the United Nations trade embargo against the People's Republic of China as a result of the Korean War. The new immigrants brought with them skills and capital, and others contributed to a vast, cheap labour pool. At the same time, many foreign firms moved their offices from Shanghai to Hong Kong to flee the communists. Hong Kong become a much more significant manufacturing centre as a result. Coat of arms for Hong Kong between 1959 and 1997 This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ... Coat of arms for Hong Kong between 1959 and 1997 This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ... Hong Kong Regional Emblem (since 1997) The current coat of arms came into use on 1 July 1997, when the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to the Peoples Republic of China, and the emblem replaced the colonial Hong Kong coat of arms. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The highlighted area in the map is what is commonly known as mainland China. Mainland China (Simplified Chinese: 中国大陆; Traditional Chinese: 中國大陸; pinyin: Zhōnggúo Dàlù; literally The Chinese Massive Landmass or Continental China) is an informal (disputed — see talk page) geographical term which is usually synonymous with the area... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Combatants United Nations: Republic of Korea  Australia  Belgium Canada  Colombia Ethiopia  France Greece  Netherlands  New Zealand  Philippines South Africa  Thailand  Turkey  United Kingdom United States Medical staff:  Denmark  India  Italy  Norway  Sweden Communist states: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea People’s Republic of China  Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee... Shanghai (Chinese: ; pinyin:  ; Shanghainese: ), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the Peoples Republic of China and the eighth largest in the world. ...

The ideals of communism impressed many young Hong Kongers in the 1960s. In May, 1967, a labour movement under the influence of the Cultural Revolution in the PRC became violent. Riots followed in the next six months. A famous radio host, Lam Bun (林彬), who openly criticised the movement, was murdered. Leftist agitators in Hong Kong resorted to terrorist attacks by planting real and fake bombs around the city. After the Hong Kong government brought down the labour movement, the communists' web in Hong Kong was broken and the Hongkongers' view of the communists became negative. (Refer to Hong Kong 1967 riots) This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The labour movement (or labor movement) is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and political governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labor relations. ... The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: WúchÇŽn JiÄ“jí Wénhuà Dà Gémìng; literally Proletarian Cultural Great Revolution; often abbreviated to 文化大革命 wénhuà dà gémìng, literally Great Cultural Revolution, or even simpler, to 文革 wéngé, Cultural Revolution) in the People... Lam Bun (林彬, died August 24, 1967) was a victim in the Hong Kong 1967 riots and a radio commentator in Commercial Radio Hong Kong. ... Large scale riots in Hong Kong, May 1967, were caused by pro-communist leftists in Hong Kong, inspired by the Cultural Revolution in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), who turned a labour dispute into large scale demonstrations against British colonial rule. ...

In the 1960s, radical free market economic policies were introduced in Hong Kong under Financial Secretary Sir John Cowperthwaite who served from 1961 until 1971. These policies have been widely credited with allowing an economic boom which would transform Hong Kong into a global manufacturing and financial centre. A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... Financial Secretary, often abbreviated as FS, is a position of the Hong Kong Government. ... Sir John James Cowperthwaite KBE CMG 郭伯偉爵士, April 25, 1916 – January 21, 2006) was Financial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1961 to 1971. ...

In 1974, Murray McLehose founded the ICAC, the Independent Commission Against Corruption. The situation was so bad that there was a mass petition by policemen against prosecutions. Despite early police opposition to the ICAC, Hong Kong was quite successful in its anti-corruption efforts, eventually becoming ranked one of the least corrupt societies in the world. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Rt. ... The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) was formed on 15 February 1974 to clean up endemic corruption in Hong Kong government and in particular, the Royal Hong Kong Police Force. ... Crest of the Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (Chinese: 香港警察; Pinyin: Xiāng Gǎng jǐngchá since 1997) is the police force of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Since 1995, Transparency International has published an annual Index of perception of corruption ordering the countries of the world according to the level of public perception of corruption of public and political functionaries. ...

While the opening of the mainland Chinese market and rising salaries drove many manufacturers north, Hong Kong today remains a major commercial and tourism centre. High life expectancy, literacy, per capita income and other socioeconomic measures attest to Hong Kong's achievements over the last four decades of the 20th Century. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

See also

• Technical standards in colonial Hong Kong

British Empire & Commonwealth — Former colonies & present overseas territories

Europe:	Gibraltar (1713-) | Cyprus (1878-1960) | Malta (1800-1964) | Minorca (1708-1757, 1782-1802)
Africa:	Basutoland (1868-1966) | Bechuanaland (1884-1966) | Cameroons League of Nations Mandate (1919-1960) | British Central Africa (1891-1907) | British East Africa became Kenya (1895-1920) | Cape Colony (1795 - 1803, 1806-1910) | Egypt (1882-1922) | Gambia (1816-1965) | Gold Coast (1874-1957) | Kenya (1920-1963) | Lagos Protectorate (1887-1906) | Natal (1856-1910) | Northern Nigeria (1900-1914) | Southern Nigeria (1900-1914) | Northern Rhodesia (1911-1964) | Nyasaland (1891-1964) | Orange River Colony (1900-1910) | Southern Rhodesia (1890-1980) | Matabeleland (1888-1894) | South Africa (1910-1961) | Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (1899-1956) | Swaziland (1893-1968) | Tanganyika (1922-1961) | Zanzibar (1890-1963) | Zululand (1887-1897)
North America:	Canada now Commonwealth Realm (1764-1867) | Newfoundland (1907-1949) | Rupert's Land (1919-1960) | Quebec (1891-1907) | Thirteen Colonies (c.1600-1784) | Lower Canada (1791-1841) | Upper Canada (1791-1841 ) | Province of Canada (1840-1867) | Vancouver Island (1849-1866) | British Columbia (1858-1871) | North-Western Territory (1859-1870) | Stikine Territory (1862-1863)
Latin America & the Caribbean:	British Honduras (1871-1964), Belize now Commonwealth Realm | Anguilla (1650-) | West Indies Federation (1958-1962) | Antigua and Barbuda (1860-1981) now Commonwealth Realm | Leeward Islands (1671-1816, 1833-1960) | Windward Islands (1833-1960) | The Bahamas (1670-1973), now Commonwealth Realm | Barbados (1624-1966), now Commonwealth Realm | British Virgin Islands (1666-) | Cayman Islands (1670-) | Dominica (1763-1978) | Grenada (1762-1974), now Commonwealth Realm | Montserrat (1632-) | Saint Kitts and Nevis (1882-1983), now Commonwealth Realm | St. Lucia (1605-1979), now Commonwealth Realm | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1627-1979), now Commonwealth Realm | Trinidad and Tobago (1889-1962) | Jamaica (1655-1962), now Commonwealth Realm | Turks and Caicos Islands (1799-) | British Guiana (1831-1961)
Asia:	Aden (1839-1967) | India (1907-1949) | Bengal (1634-1947) | Hong Kong (1841-1997) | Palestine League of Nations Mandate (1923—1948) | Transjordan League of Nations Mandate (1921—1946) | Trucial States protectorate (1892-1971)
Oceania & Pacific:	Australia (1788-1942) now Commonwealth Realm | Swan River Colony (1907-1949) | New Zealand (1840-1907) now Commonwealth Realm | Territory of Papua (1884—1949) | Territory of Papua and New Guinea (1949 — 1975) now Commonwealth Realm | Van Diemen's Land (1803-1901) | British Solomon Islands (1893-1978) | British Western Pacific Territories | Gilbert and Ellice Islands ( - ) | Cook Islands ( - ) | Union Islands ( - ) | New Hebrides (1824-1980) | Niue ( - ) | Pitcairn Islands (1838-) | Sandwich Islands (1794-1843) | The Straits Settlements (1826-1946) | The Federated Malay States (1895-1946) | The Unfederated Malay States | Sultanate of Brunei (1888-1984) | Kingdom of Sarawak (1841-1941) | British North Borneo (1882-1963) For a list of territories, see: Evolution of the British Empire This article gives readers an insight on how the British colonial rule affected the technical standards in Hong Kong. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Flag of Minorca This is a taula from the site of Talatì de Dalt about 4km west of Maó Minorca (Menorca both in Catalan and Spanish and increasingly in English usage; from Latin Balearis Minor, later Minorica minor island) is one of the Balearic Islands (Illes Balears Catalan official name... The mountainous and largely arid land that came to be Basutoland was populated by San (bushmen, Qhuaique) until the end of the 16th century. ... The Bechuanaland Protectorate (BP) was a protectorate established on March 31, 1885 by Britain in the area of what is now Botswana. ... Flag of British Central Africa The British Central Africa Protectorate existed in the area of present-day Malawi between 1891 and 1907. ... British East Africa was a British protectorate in East Africa, covering generally the area of present-day Kenya and lasting from 1890 to 1920, when it became the colony of Kenya. ... Official language English and Dutch1 Capital Cape Town Largest City Cape Town Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 1st 569,020 km² (1910) Negligible Population  - Total (1911)  - Density Ranked 1st 2,564,965 4. ... Flag of Gold Coast Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa. ... Natal is a former British colony, and a South African province. ... Northern Nigeria was a British colony formed in 1900 from the interior territories of the Royal Niger Company, north from about where the Niger River and Benin River joined at Lokoja. ... Southern Nigeria was a British protectorate in the coastal areas of modern-day Nigeria, formed in 1900 from union of the Niger Coast Protectorate with territories chartered by the Royal Niger Company below Lokoja on the Niger River. ... Flag of Northern Rhodesia. ... Hominid remains and stone implements have been identified in Malawi dating back more than one million years, and early humans inhabited the vicinity of Lake Malawi 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. ... Flag of Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was a British colony created by the annexation of the Orange Free State in 1900, after the Boer War. ... Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated immediately to the north of South Africa, known today as Zimbabwe. ... Matabeleland is a region in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. ... Anglo-Egyptian Sudan was the name of Sudan between 1899 and 1956, when it was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt. ... Flag of Tanganyika Tanganyika was an East African republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, named after Lake Tanganyika, which formed its western border. ... Motto: Uhuru na Umoja (Swahili: Freedom and Unity) Anthem: Mungu ibariki Afrika (God Bless Africa) Capital (and largest city) Stone Town English Government Republic  - President Amani Abeid Karume  - Prime Minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha Independence From the United Kingdom   - Tanganyika December 9, 1961   - Zanzibar December 19, 1963   - Merge April 26, 1964... Zululand was the Zulu-dominated area of what is now northern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. ... British North America was an informal term first used in 1783, but uncommon before the Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839), called the Durham Report. ... National motto: Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei (Latin: Seek ye first the kingdom of God) Capital St. ... Ruperts Land Ruperts Land was a territory consisting of much of modern Canada. ... Province of Quebec (COLONIAL PERIOD, 1763-1791) Great Britain acquired Canada by the Treaty of Paris (1763) when King Louis XV of France and his advisors chose to keep the territory of Guadeloupe for its valuable sugar crops instead of New France, which was viewed as a vast, frozen wasteland... In 1775, the British claimed authority over the red and pink areas on this map and Spain ruled the orange. ... Map of Lower Canada (green) Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791-1841). ... Map of Upper Canada (orange) Upper Canada was a British territory in what is now the Canadian province of Ontario. ... Note: for information about Canadas present-day provinces, see Provinces and territories of Canada. ... See main article Vancouver Island Colonial flag of Vancouver Island, consisting of the British Blue Ensign and the great seal of the colony. ... The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony of British North America from 1858 until 1871. ... The North-Western Territory at its greatest extent, 1859 The North-Western Territory was a region of British North America until 1870. ... Stikine Territory Stikine Territory (usually spelt Stickeen in the 19th Century) was a territory that existed in British North America from July 19, 1862 until July of the next year. ... Flag of British Honduras British Honduras was the former name of a British colony on the east coast of Central America just to the south-east of Mexico, now the independent nation of Belize. ... National motto: Official language English Political status Overseas territory of the UK Capital Chaguaramas Largest cities Kingston and Port of Spain Monarch Queen Elizabeth II Governor-General Patrick George Thomas Buchan-Hepburn Prime Minister Grantley Herbert Adams (West Indies Federal Labour Party) Creation January 3, 1958 (union of most of... The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles. ... The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles. ... British Guiana and its boundary lines, 1896 Flag of British Guiana British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana. ... Port of Aden (around 1910). ... Bengal, known as Bango ( Bengali:বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bangodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bengali, is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... Flag Palestine and Transjordan were incorporated (under different legal and administrative arrangements) into the British Mandate of Palestine, issued by the League of Nations to Great Britain on 29 September, 1923 Capital Not specified Organizational structure League of Nations Mandate High Commissioner  - 1920 — 1925 Sir Herbert Louis Samuel  - 1945 — 1948... Map of the territory of the British Mandate of Palestine The Emirate of Transjordan was an autonomous political division of the British Mandate of Palestine, created as an administrative entity in April 1921 before the Mandate came into effect. ... History of the United Arab Emirates. ... See also: History of Western Australia // Background to the Settlement The founding father of modern Western Australia was James Stirling who, in 1827, explored the Swan River area in HMS Success which first anchored off Rottnest, and later in Cockburn Sound. ... The Territory of Papua was an Australian possession comprising the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea, existing from roughly 1902 to 1949. ... Flag Capital Canberra Language(s) English (official), Austronesian languages, Papuan languages, English creoles Organizational structure Colony King List of British monarchs Prime Minister List of Prime Ministers of Australia Legislature House of Assembly Historical era Cold War  - Union established November 6, 1949  - Self-governing December 1, 1973  - Independence September 16... Van Diemens Land was the original name used by Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The British Western Pacific Territories was the name of a colonial entity, created in 1877, for the administration, under a single representative of the British Crown, styled High Commissioner (compare other uses of this title), of a series of relatively minor Pacific islands in and around Oceania // The island entities... The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were a British protectorate from 1892 and colony from 1916 — until 1 January 1976 when the islands were divided into two different colonies which became independent nations shortly after. ... Geographic location of atolls: Atafu Nukunonu Fakaofo Languages Tokelauan, English Capital None; each atoll has its own administrative centre Political status Territory of New Zealand Head of State Queen Elizabeth II (as Queen of New Zealand) Administrator David Payton Head of Government Kolouei OBrien Area   – Total   – % water  12 km... The New Hebrides are an island group in the South Pacific that now form the nation of Vanuatu. ... The Sandwich Islands was the name given to Hawaii by Captain James Cook on his discovery of the islands on January 18, 1778. ... The Straits Settlements were a collection of territories of the British East India Company in Southeast Asia, which were given collective administration in 1826. ... The Federated Malay States (FMS) was a federation of four states on the Malay Peninsula - Pahang, Perak, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan - established by the British government in 1895, and lasted until 1946, when they together with the Straits Settlements and the Unfederated Malay States formed the Malayan Union. ... The Unfederated Malay States were five Malay states, namely Johore Terengganu Kelantan Kedah Perlis Together the states were not a single entity but merely a category to describe those states which were not Federated Malay States or Straits Settlements. ... Motto: Always in service with Gods guidance (translation) Anthem: Allah Peliharakan Sultan (God Bless the Sultan) Capital (and largest city) Bandar Seri Begawan Malay (national), English Government Absolute monarchy  - Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Independence    - from British protectorate January 1, 1984  Area  - Total 5,805 km² (181th) 2,226 sq mi... The White Rajahs refers to a dynasty that ruled Sarawak from 1841 to 1946. ... North Borneo was a British Protectorate and later Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom, situated in what is now the province of Sabah Malaysia. ... An anachronous map of British (and prior to the existence of Britain, English) imperial possessions This is a list of the various overseas territories that have been under the political control of the United Kingdom and/or its predecessor states[1]. Collectively, these territories are traditionally referred to as the...