Colonial empires are still alive: in the modern world there are more than 50 colonies

Despite the fact that the great colonial powers have lost a lot of weight over the past century, the metropolises and colonies still exist on the modern political map of the world. Today these territories are called differently: overseas departments, overseas territories or unincorporated territories. Colonies may even have their own national flag and self-government. But the meaning does not change from this: the colonies and their indigenous population are more or less dependent on their metropolises and do not have political sovereignty.

In the modern world, there are more than 50 colonies whose owners are in no hurry to part with their overseas territories. Let's see which of the metropolises today have the largest number of colonies - dependent territories that are not officially part of the state (metropolis).

United Kingdom

Little is left of the former greatness of the British Empire. Nevertheless, today Great Britain owns colonies in all key regions of the planet.

1. Europe: the Jersey island in the English Channel, the Guernsey island in the English Channel, the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, the city of Gibraltar in the south of the Iberian Peninsula (disputed by Spain), Akrotiri and Dhekelia - military bases on the island of Cyprus.

2. Atlantic Ocean (without colonies of the Caribbean): Bermuda, St. Helena, Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha archipelago, Falkland Islands off the coast of South America (the territory is disputed by Argentina), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (the territory is disputed Argentina).

3. Caribbean Sea: Anguilla Islands, Cayman Islands (Cayman Islands), Montserrat Island, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands.

4. Pacific Ocean: Pitcairn Islands - Five islands in the South Pacific.

5. Indian Ocean: British Indian Ocean Territory - a group of 55 islands. The colony was formed contrary to UN decisions in 1965, disputed by the Seychelles and Mauritius.

France

Not so long ago, France owned vast territories in Africa and other regions of the world. Most countries have gained independence today, but France is still the owner of a large number of overseas territories, whose population exceeds the “colonial subjects” of Great Britain.

1. South America: French Guiana with a population of 240,000.

2. Atlantic Ocean (excluding the colonies of the Caribbean Islands): the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.

3. Caribbean Sea: the island state of Guadeloupe, the island of Martinique, the island of Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin.

4. Indian Ocean: Reunion Island, Mayotte Island in the Strait of Mozambique (disputed by the Comoros), Amsterdam Island, Saint-Paul Island, Crozet Island, Kerguelen Archipelago, Eparse Islands (most of them are disputed by neighboring states).

5. Pacific Ocean: the territory of the islands of Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia, French Polynesia with a population of about 280,000 people, the island of Clipperton.

United States of America

The United States does not appear in school textbooks as a colonial empire, but today it is this state that is the largest metropolis in terms of the number of dependent population (more than 4 million people).

1. The Caribbean: United States Virgin Islands, a freely associated state of Puerto Rico - a state controlled by the US Congress and virtually dependent on the United States, with a population of 3.7 million people.

2. Pacific Ocean: Guam Island, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa (Eastern Samoa), a group of 9 islands - Small Outer Islands, US-associated Marshall Islands.

Kingdom of the Netherlands

To date, the Netherlands has only colonies on the islands of the Caribbean. This is the island of Aruba, the island of Curacao, the state of Sint Maarten on the island of St. Martin and the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba).

Portugal

In the past, an influential Portuguese empire, today this country has only two overseas possessions in the Atlantic Ocean: the island of Madeira with a population of 270,000 people and the Azores with a population of about 250,000 people.

Spain

Today, Spain has lost almost all of its colonial possessions, it has several colonies located not so far from the state itself.

1. Atlantic Ocean: Canary Islands.

2. The Mediterranean Sea: the cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the Mediterranean coast of Africa, opposite Spain, which have the status of autonomous cities, as well as the islands of Alusemas, Chafarinas, Perejil, Alboran.

All these territories do not have political sovereignty and their own armed forces, and their security is ensured by the army of the metropolises.