The British Empire

 The British Empire 

• The British Empire was made up of the colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. 

• The independence of the Thirteen Colonies in North America in 1783 after the American War of Independence caused Britain to lose some of its oldest and most populous colonies.

• British attention soon turned towards Asia, Africa, and the Pacific.

• By 1922 the British Empire had power over about 458 million people, one-fifth of the world's population at the time.

• The empire covered more than 33,700,000 km, almost a quarter of the Earth's total land area.

• Although the people living in the British colonies were British citizens, they were often times viewed by the English as inferior, second-class citizens (lots of discrimination).

• In the Second World War, Britain's colonies in South-East Asia were occupied by Japan. Despite the eventual victory of Britain and its allies, this damaged British prestige and accelerated the decline of the empire. 

• British India, Britain's most valuable and populous possession, achieved independence two years after the end of the war.

Countries Part of the British Empire