historical state, United Kingdom
What was the British Empire?
British Empire was a worldwide system of dependencies that was brought under the sovereignty of the crown of Great Britain and the administration of the British government over some three centuries.
When did the British Empire begin?
The first tentative steps toward the establishment of the British Empire began with overseas settlements in the 16th century. Great Britain’s maritime expansion accelerated in the 17th century and resulted in the establishment of settlements in North America and the West Indies. The East India Company began establishing trading posts in India in 1600, and the first permanent British settlement in Africa was made at James Island in the Gambia River in 1661.
The last significant colony of the British Empire was Hong Kong. It was returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
Does the British Empire still exist today?
The British Empire does not exist today. However, the Commonwealth is a free association of sovereign states comprising the United Kingdom and many of its former dependencies that acknowledge the British monarch as the association’s symbolic head
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