A series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries with the Netherlands and France left England ( Britain, following the 1707 Act of Union with Scotland) the dominant colonial power in North America. Envious of the great wealth these empires generated, England, France, and the Netherlands began to establish colonies and trade networks of their own in the Americas and Asia. ĭuring the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of the globe, and in the process established large overseas empires. At the peak of its power, it was described as " the empire on which the sun never sets", as the sun was always shining on at least one of its territories. As a result, its constitutional, legal, linguistic, and cultural legacy is widespread. By 1913 the British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23 per cent of the world population at the time, and by 1920 it covered 35,500,000 km 2 (13,700,000 sq mi), 24 percent of the Earth's total land area.
It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries.Īt its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power.
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. Current British Overseas Territories have their names underlined in red. All areas of the world that were ever part of the British Empire.