View source for Colonial empire

{{Short description|Overseas possessions of a nation-state}}
[[File:World 1898 empires colonies territory.png|thumb|350px|Colonial powers in 1898{{efn|{{legend|#f36931|United Kingdom}}
{{legend|#4158bb|France}}
{{legend|#dee931|Spain}}
{{legend|#3c7014|Portugal}}
{{legend|#eb7d14|Netherlands}}
{{legend|#47473f|Germany}}
{{legend|#90e44e|Ottoman Empire}}
{{legend|#1a1a1a|Belgium}}
{{legend|#959b34|Austria-Hungary}}
{{legend|#4d324f|Russia}}
{{legend|#934f0f|Japan}}
{{legend|#2fb468|Denmark}}
{{legend|#2e1b7d|Sweden-Norway}}
{{legend|#5eb3e0|United States}}
{{legend|#f00909|Italy}}
{{legend|#c7bdc6|Independent / Other countries}}}}]]

A '''colonial empire''' is a collective of territories (often called [[colony|colonies]]), either contiguous with the imperial center or located [[Territory#Overseas territory|overseas]], [[plantation (settlement or colony)|settled]] by the population of a certain [[sovereign state|state]] and governed by that state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Colonial Empire: Definition {{!}} StudySmarter |url=https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/history/modern-world-history/colonial-empire/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=StudySmarter UK |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Before the expansion of early modern European powers, other [[empire]]s had conquered and colonized territories, such as the [[Roman Empire]] in Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. Modern colonial empires first emerged with a race of exploration between the then most advanced [[Europe]]an maritime powers, [[Portugal]] and [[Spain]], during the 15th century.<ref>Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "kolonie [geschiedenis]. §1.2 De moderne koloniale expansie". Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum.</ref> The initial impulse behind these dispersed maritime empires and those that followed was [[trade]], driven by the new ideas and the [[capitalism]] that grew out of the European [[Renaissance]]. Agreements were also made to divide the world up between them in [[Treaty of Alcáçovas|1479]], [[Inter caetera|1493]], and [[Treaty of Tordesillas|1494]]. European [[imperialism]] was born out of competition between European Christians and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] Muslims, the latter of which rose up quickly in the 14th century and forced the Spanish and Portuguese to seek new trade routes to [[Indian subcontinent|India]], and to a lesser extent, China.

Although [[Colonies in antiquity|colonies existed]] in [[classical antiquity]], especially amongst the [[Phoenicia]]ns and the [[ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]] who settled many islands and coasts of the [[Mediterranean Sea]], these colonies were politically independent from the [[city-state]]s they originated from, and thus did not constitute a colonial empire.<ref>Encarta, s.v. "kolonie [geschiedenis]. §1.1 Oudheid.</ref>  This paradigm shifted by the time of the [[Ptolemaic Empire]], the [[Seleucid Empire]], and the [[Roman Empire]].

The [[European countries]] of the [[modern era]] that are most remembered as colonial empires are the [[United Kingdom]], [[Spain]], [[Portugal]], [[Italy]], [[Netherlands]], [[France]], [[Germany]] and [[Belgium]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Years a country was an European overseas colony |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/years-colonized |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=Our World in Data}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Western colonialism {{!}} Definition, History, Examples, & Effects {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Western-colonialism |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

==History==

===European colonial empires===
Portugal began establishing the first global trade network and one of the first colonial [[Portuguese Empire|empires]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/concise-history-of-spain/spain-as-the-first-global-empire/F7B8F313785D9617BA12636F41696996|title=Spain as the first global empire|first1=Jr|last1=William D. Phillips|first2=Carla Rahn|last2=Phillips|date=November 12, 2015|website=A Concise History of Spain|pages=176–272 |doi=10.1017/CBO9781316271940.006 |isbn=9781107109711 |access-date=September 14, 2019|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810023355/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/concise-history-of-spain/spain-as-the-first-global-empire/F7B8F313785D9617BA12636F41696996|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Powell, Philip Wayne ([1991?]). Árbol de odio: la leyenda negra y sus consecuencias en las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y el mundo hispánico. Ediciones Iris de Paz. {{ISBN|9788440488855}}. OCLC 55157841</ref> under the leadership of [[Henry the Navigator]]. The empire spread throughout a vast number of territories distributed across the globe (especially at one time in the 16th century) that are now parts of [[Evolution of the Portuguese Empire#Countries with territories part of the Portuguese Empire|60 different sovereign states]]. Portugal would eventually control [[Brazil]], territories such as what is now [[Colonia del Sacramento|Uruguay]] and some fishing ports in north, in the [[Americas]]; [[Portuguese Angola|Angola]], [[Portuguese Mozambique|Mozambique]], [[Portuguese Guinea]], and [[Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe|São Tomé and Príncipe]] (among other territories and bases) in the [[North Africa|North]] and the [[Sub-Saharan Africa|Subsaharan]] [[Africa]]; cities, forts or territories in all the [[Asia]]n subcontinents, as [[Muscat, Oman|Muscat]], [[Ormus]] and [[Bahrain]] (amongst other bases) in the [[Persian Gulf]]; [[Goa]], [[Bombay]] and [[Daman and Diu]] (amongst other coastal cities) in [[Portuguese India|India]]; [[Portuguese Ceylon]]; [[Portuguese Malacca|Malacca]], bases in Southeast Asia and [[Oceania]], as [[Makassar]], [[Solor]], [[Banda Islands|Banda]], [[Ambon Island|Ambon]] and others in the [[Moluccas]], [[Portuguese Timor]]; and the granted ''[[entrepôt]]''-base of [[Portuguese Macau|Macau]] and the entrepôt-enclave of [[Dejima]] ([[Nagasaki]]) in [[East Asia]], amongst other smaller or short-lived possessions.
[[File:Colonisation2.gif|thumb|center|upright=3.4|{{center|The territorial evolution of modern colonial empires and some of their successor states (such as USSR, Turkey)}}]]

During its ''[[Siglo de Oro]]'', the [[Spanish Empire]] had possession of [[Mexico]], [[South America]], the [[Philippines]], all of [[southern Italy]], a [[Spanish road|stretch of territories]] from the [[Duchy of Milan]] to the [[Netherlands]], [[Luxembourg]], and [[Belgium]], parts of [[Burgundy]], and many colonial settlements in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Possessions in Europe, Africa, the [[Atlantic Ocean]], the Americas, the [[Pacific Ocean]], and East Asia qualified the Spanish Empire as attaining a global presence. From 1580 to 1640 the [[Portuguese Empire]] and the Spanish Empire were conjoined in a [[personal union]] of its [[Philippine Dynasty|Habsburg monarchs]] during the period of the ''Iberian Union'', but beneath the highest level of government, their separate administrations were maintained.

Subsequent colonial empires included the [[List of French possessions and colonies|French]], [[English overseas possessions|English]], [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] and [[Japanese Empire|Japanese]] empires. By the mid-17th century, the [[Tsardom of Russia]], continued later as the [[Russian Empire]], the [[Soviet Union]], and modern [[Russia]], became the largest contiguous state in the world and remains so to this day.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, by virtue of its technological and maritime supremacy, the [[British Empire]] steadily expanded to become by far the largest empire in history; at its height ruling over a quarter of the Earth's land area and 24% of the population. Britain's role as a global hegemon during this time ushered in a century of "[[Pax Britannica|British Peace]]", lasting from the end of the [[French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars]] to the start of [[World War I]]. During the [[New Imperialism]], Italy and Germany also built their [[Scramble for Africa|colonial empires in Africa]].

===Timeline===
{{factual accuracy|what=section|date=January 2020}}
The chart below{{original research inline|date=December 2021}} shows the span of some European colonial empires.
* Black lines mark the year of the empires largest territorial extent of land area.
* Red represents that the empire is at that time a [[monarchy]].
* Blue represents that the empire is at that time a [[republic]].
<timeline>
ImageSize  = width:750 height:450
PlotArea   = width:650  height:350 left:50 bottom:50

DateFormat = yyyy
Period     = from:1400 till:2000
TimeAxis   = orientation:vertical
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:50 start:1400

# there is no automatic collision detection,
# so shift texts up or down manually to avoid overlap

Colors=
  id:red  value:red

Define $dx = 25 # shift text to right side of bar
Define $dy = -5 # adjust height

PlotData=
  bar:Belgian color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1908  till:1962 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  at:1928 mark: (line,black)

  bar:British color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1707  till:1997 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  at:1920 mark: (line,black)

  bar:Danish color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1536  till:1953 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  at:1810 mark: (line,black)

  bar:Dutch color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1602  till:1806 shift:($dx,-2)    color:blue
  from:1806  till:1975 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  at:1806 mark: (line,red)
  at:1930 mark: (line,black)

  bar:English color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1585  till:1649 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  from:1649  till:1660 shift:($dx,-2)    color:blue
  from:1660  till:1707 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  at:1649 mark: (line,blue)
  at:1660 mark: (line,red)
  at:1707 mark: (line,black)

  bar:French color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1534  till:1792 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  from:1792  till:1814 shift:($dx,-2)    color:blue
  from:1814  till:1870 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  from:1870  till:1980 shift:($dx,-2)    color:blue
  at:1792 mark: (line,blue)
  at:1814 mark: (line,red)
  at:1870 mark: (line,blue)
  at:1920 mark: (line,black)

  bar:German color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1884  till:1918 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  at:1912 mark: (line,black)

  bar:Italian color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1885  till:1946 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  from:1946  till:1960 shift:($dx,-2)    color:blue
  at:1946 mark: (line,blue)
  at:1939 mark: (line,black)

  bar:Portuguese color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1415  till:1999 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  from:1910  till:1999 shift:($dx,-2)    color:blue
  at:1910 mark: (line,blue)
  at:1815 mark: (line,black)

  bar:Russian color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1721  till:1917 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  at:1895 mark: (line,black)

  bar:Spanish color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1492  till:1931 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  from:1931  till:1947 shift:($dx,-2)    color:blue
  from:1947  till:1975 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  at:1873 mark: (line,blue)
  at:1874 mark: (line,blue)
  at:1931 mark: (line,blue)
  at:1810 mark: (line,black)
  at:1947 mark: (line,blue)

  bar:Swedish color:red width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:7
  from:1638  till:1663 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  from:1784  till:1878 shift:($dx,-2)    color:red
  at:1658 mark: (line,black)

</timeline>

==List of colonial empires==
{{Further|United Nations list of non-self-governing territories|Dependent territory}}
[[File:Modern Empires - en.svg|thumb|350px|Diachronic map of the main empires of the modern era (1492–1945)]]
'''{{big|[[Europe]]an}}''':
* {{Flagicon|Belgium}} '''[[Belgian colonial empire|Belgian Empire]]''' (1908–1962)
** Possessions in Africa
***{{Flag|Belgian Congo}} (1908–1960)
*** [[File:Coat of arms of Ruanda-Urundi.svg|21x21px]] [[Ruanda-Urundi]] (1922–1962)
** Possessions in Asia
***[[File:Seal of the Belgian concession of Tianjin.svg|21x21px]] [[Belgian concession of Tianjin]] (1902–1931)
* {{Flagicon|British Empire}} '''[[British Empire]]''' (1707–1997/[[British Overseas Territories|present]]){{Main|List of countries that have gained independence from the United Kingdom}}
** [[Evolution of the British Empire]]; [[Angevin Empire]]; {{Flagicon|Kingdom of England}} '''[[English colonial empire]]''' (1585–1707)
** Possessions in Europe
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Cyprus (1922–1960).svg}} [[British Cyprus]]
*** {{Flagdeco|Malta|variant=1943}} [[British Malta]]
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.svg}} [[History of Ireland (1801–1923)|British Ireland]]
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States of the Ionian Islands.svg}} [[United States of the Ionian Islands]]
*** {{Flagicon|Gibraltar}} [[British Gibraltar]]
*** [[Menorca#18th-19th centuries|British Minorca]]
*** [[File:Flag of British Heligoland.svg|29x29px]] [[British Heligoland]]
**Possessions in Africa
*** [[File:Flag of British Somaliland (1952–1960).svg|20px]] [[British Somaliland]] (1884–1960)
*** {{Flagdeco|Egypt|variant=1882}} [[British Egypt]] (1914–1936)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.svg}} [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan]] (1899–1956)
*** [[File:Flag of Kenya (1895–1921).svg|20px]] [[East Africa Protectorate]] (1895–1920)
*** [[File:Flag of Kenya (1921–1963).svg|20px]] [[Kenya Colony]] (1920–1963)
*** [[File:Flag_of_the_Uganda_Protectorate.svg|20px]] [[Uganda Protectorate]] (1894–1962)
*** [[File:Flag of Tanganyika (1923–1961).svg|20px]] [[Tanganyika (territory)]] (1922–1961)
*** [[File:Flag of Nyasaland (1925–1964).svg|20px]] Protectorate of [[Nyasaland]] (1893–1964)
*** [[File:Flag of Northern Rhodesia (1939–1964).svg|20px]] Protectorate of [[Northern Rhodesia]] (1924–1964)
*** [[File:Flag of Southern Rhodesia (1924–1964).svg|20px]] Colony of [[Southern Rhodesia]] (1923–1965), (1979–1980)
*** [[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Bechuanaland_Protectorate.svg|20px]] [[Bechuanaland Protectorate]] (1885–1966)
*** [[File:Flag of Nigeria (1914–1952).svg|20px]] [[British Nigeria]] (1914–1954)
*** [[File:Flag of the Gold Coast (1877–1957).svg|20px]] [[British Gold Coast]] (1867–1957)
*** [[File:Flag of Sierra Leone (1916–1961).svg|20px]] [[British Sierra Leone]] (1808–1961)
*** [[File:Flag of The Gambia (1889–1965).svg|20px]] [[British Gambia]] (1821–1965)
** [[British colonization of the Americas|Possessions in the Americas]]
*** {{Flag|Thirteen Colonies}}
*** {{Flagicon image|Colonial-Red-Ensign.svg}} [[British West Indies]]
**** {{Flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Bahamas_(1964–1973).svg}} [[History of the Bahamas|Bahamas]]
**** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Barbados (1870–1966).svg}} [[History of Barbados|Barbados]]
**** {{Flag|Bermuda}}
**** {{Flag|Leeward Islands}} (1671–1816),(1833–1958)
**** {{Flag|Windward Islands}} (1833–1960)
**** {{Flag|Cayman Islands}}
**** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Jamaica (1957–1962).svg}} [[Colony of Jamaica]] (1655–1962)
**** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Trinidad and Tobago (1958–1962).svg}} [[History of Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad and Tobago]]
**** {{Flag|Turks and Caicos Islands}}
*** {{Flag|British Honduras}} (1862–1981)
*** {{Flag|British Guiana}} (1814–1966)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Moskitia.webp}} [[Mosquito Coast|Kingdom of Mosquitia]] (1638–1860)
**'''Possessions in South Asia'''
*** {{Flag|East India Company}} (1757–1858)
*** {{Flagcountry|British Raj}} (1858–1947) 
*** {{Flagcountry|Bangladesh}}
*** {{Flagcountry|India}} 
*** {{Flagcountry|Pakistan}}
*** {{Flagcountry|British Ceylon}} (1815–1948)
*** {{Flagcountry|Sri Lanka}}
*** [[Bhutan]] (protectorate) (1907–1947)
*** {{Flagcountry|Bhutan}}
*** {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Sikkim_(1914-1962).svg}} [[Sikkim]] (protectorate) (1861–1948)
*** {{Flagicon image|Pre-1962 Flag of Nepal (with spacing, aspect ratio 4-3).svg}} [[Kingdom of Nepal|Nepal]] (protectorate) (1816–1923)
** Possessions in East Asia
*** {{Flag|British Hong Kong}} (1841–1997)
** Possessions in the Middle East
*** {{Flag|Trucial States}} (1820–1971)
*** {{Flagdeco|Bahrain|variant=1932}} [[History of Bahrain (1783–1971)|British Bahrain]] (1861-1971)
*** {{Flagicon image|flag_of_Qatar_(1949–1971).svg}} [[Qatar#British period (1916–1971)|British Qatar]] (1916–1971)
*** {{Flagdeco|Kingdom of Iraq}} [[British Iraq]] (1920–1932) (1932–1958)
*** {{Flag|Emirate of Transjordan}} (1921–1946)
*** {{Flagicon image|Ensign_of_the_Palestine_Mandate_(1927–1948).svg}} [[Mandatory Palestine]] (1920–1948)
*** {{Flagdeco|Kuwait|variant=1940}} [[Sheikhdom of Kuwait]] (1899–1961)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Aden (1937–1963).svg}} [[Aden Protectorate]] (1872–1963)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Muscat.svg}} [[Muscat and Oman]] (1892–1970)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag_of_Afghanistan_(1901–1919).svg}} [[Emirate of Afghanistan]] (protectorate) (1879–1947)
** Possessions in Southeast Asia
*** [[British Bencoolen]]
*** [[British Malaya]]
*** [[British Borneo]]
** Dominions of the United Kingdom
*** {{Flag|Canada|1921}}
*** {{Flag|Dominion of Newfoundland}}
*** {{Flagicon|Australia}} [[States and territories of Australia]] (1901–present)
**** [[Australia]] itself a colony that gradually increased its independence in 1901, 1942 and 1986, was tasked with the government of multiple [[States and territories of Australia#External|other British colonies and territories]] and the mandates of [[Territory of New Guinea|New Guinea]] and [[History of Nauru|Nauru]]
*** {{Flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Realm of New Zealand]] (1907–present)
**** [[New Zealand]] itself a colony that gradually increased its independence in 1907, 1947 and 1986, was tasked with the government of multiple [[Realm of New Zealand|other British colonies and territories]] and the mandate of [[History of Samoa|Samoa]]. It was also nominal co-trustee of the mandate of [[History of Nauru|Nauru]]. The remaining non-self-governing New Zealand territory is [[Tokelau]].
***{{Flagicon|Union of South Africa}} [[South-West Africa|Mandates under South African administration]] (1915–1990)
**** The [[South-West Africa]] mandate was governed by the [[Union of South Africa]], that itself a colony that gradually increased its independence in 1910, 1931 and 1961.
* {{flagicon|Denmark}} '''[[Danish overseas colonies|Danish Empire]]''' (1620–1979/[[Danish Realm|present]])
** {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Danish India]] (1620–1869)
** {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Danish Gold Coast]] (1658–1850)
** [[Danish colonization of the Americas]]:
*** {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Danish West Indies]] (1754–1917)
*** [[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Greenland_(Old_version).svg|border|20px]] [[Greenland]] (1814–1979)
* {{Flagicon|Netherlands}} '''[[Dutch Empire]]''' (1602–1975/[[Kingdom of the Netherlands|present]])
** [[Dutch colonization of the Americas]] by {{Flag|Dutch West India Company}}:
*** {{Flag|New Netherland}}
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Dutch Guyana.svg}} [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|Dutch Guyana/Surinam]]
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of New Holland.svg}} [[Dutch Brazil]] (1630-1654)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1986–2010).svg}} [[Dutch Caribbean]]
*** {{Flagdeco|Dutch West India Company}} [[Dutch Gold Coast]] (1612-1872)
** {{Flag|Dutch East India Company}}
*** {{Flagdeco|Dutch East India Company}} [[Dutch India]]
*** {{Flag|Dutch East Indies}}
**** {{Flag|Netherlands New Guinea}}
*** {{Flagdeco|Dutch East India Company}} [[Dutch Cape Colony]] (1652–1806)
*** {{Flagdeco|Dutch East India Company}} [[Dutch Formosa]] (1624–1662)
*** {{Flagdeco|Dutch East India Company}} [[Dutch Ceylon]] (1640-1796)
*** {{Flagdeco|Dutch East India Company}} [[Dutch Malacca]] (1641-1795) (1818-1825)
*** {{Flagdeco|Dutch East India Company}} [[Dejima]] (1641–1854)
*** {{Flagdeco|Dutch East India Company}} [[Dutch Mauritius]] (1638–1710)
* {{Flagicon|France}} '''[[French colonial empire|French Empire]]''' (1534–1980/[[Overseas France|present]]){{Main|List of French possessions and colonies}}
** [[French colonization of the Americas]]:
*** [[France Antarctique]] (1555–1567)
*** {{Flag|New France}} (1534–1763) and [[Quebec]]
*** {{Flagicon image|Old Louisiana Flag.svg}} [[French Louisiana]]
*** {{Flagicon image|Snake Flag of Martinique.svg}} [[French West Indies]] (1635–today)
*** [[Îles des Saintes]] (1648–present)
*** [[Marie-Galante]] (1635–present)
*** [[la Désirade]] (1635–present)
*** [[Guadeloupe]] (1635–present)
*** [[Martinique]] (1635–present)
*** [[French Guiana]]
*** {{Flag|Saint Pierre and Miquelon}}
** Asia:
*** [[French India]] (1664–1962)
*** {{Flagicon image|Ensign of French Indochina.svg}} [[French Indochina]] and [[French Indochinese Union]] (1887–1954)
**** [[French Protectorate of Laos|Laos (protectorate)]] (1893–1953)
**** [[French Protectorate of Cambodia|Cambodia (protectorate)]] (1863–1953)
**** [[Vietnam]]
***** [[French Cochinchina|Cochinchina]] (Southern Vietnam) (1858–1949)
***** [[Annam (French protectorate)|Annam (protectorate)]] (Central Vietnam) (1883–1949)
***** [[Tonkin (French protectorate)|Tonkin (protectorate)]] (Northern Vietnam) (1884–1949)
*** [[China]]
**** The foreign concessions : [[French Concession of Shanghai]] (1849–1946), [[Concessions in Tianjin#French concession .281860–1946.29|Tianjin]] (1860–1946) and [[Hankou]] (1898–1946)
**** The spheres of French influence officially recognized by China on the provinces of [[Yunnan]], [[Guangxi]], [[Hainan]], and [[Guangdong]]
**** [[Shamian Island]] (1859–1949) (a fifth of the island)
**** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Colonial Annam.svg}} [[French Guangzhouwan]] (1898–1945)
** Possessions in the Middle East
*** [[Mandate for Syria and Lebanon]] (1920–1946)
** [[Françafrique|French Africa]]:
*** [[French North Africa]] (1830–1934) and [[French Algeria]]
*** [[French protectorate in Morocco|French Morocco]] (1912–1956)
*** [[French protectorate in Tunisia|French Tunisia]] (1886–1956)
*** [[French Somaliland]] (1883–1975)
*** [[French West Africa]] (1895–1958)
*** [[French Madagascar]] (1897–1958)
*** [[Comoros|French Comoros]] (1866–1968)
*** [[French Equatorial Africa]] (1910–1958)
*** [[Isle de France (Mauritius)|Isle de France]] (1715–1810)
*** [[Seychelles]] (1756–1810)
*** The [[Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean|Scattered Islands]]
*** [[Reunion island]] (1710–present)
*** [[Mayotte]] (1841–present)
** Oceania:
*** {{Flag|New Hebrides}} (1906–1980)
*** {{Flag|French Polynesia}}
*** {{Flag|New Caledonia}}
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag_of_Wallis_and_Futuna.svg}}[[Wallis and Futuna]]
*** [[Clipperton Island|Clipperton]] island
* {{Flagicon|German Empire}} '''[[German colonial empire|German Empire]]''' (1884–1920)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag_of_Deutsch-Kamerun.svg}} [[German Cameroon|Kamerun]] (1884–1918)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Deutsch-Togo.svg}} [[Togoland]] (1884–1916)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag_of_Deutsch-Südwest.svg}} [[German South West Africa]] (1884–1919)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag_of_Deutsch-Neuguinea.svg}} [[German New Guinea]] (1884–1919)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag_of_Deutsch-Ostafrika.svg}} [[German East Africa]] (1885–1919)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag_of_Deutsch-Samoa.svg}} [[German Samoa]] (1900–1920)
** [[Foreign concessions in Tianjin#German concession (1899–1917)|German Concession in Tientsin]]
** German concession of [[Hankou]]
** [[Qingdao#German and Japanese occupations|German Tsingtao]]
*** German [[Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory]]
* {{Flagicon|Italy|variant=1861}} '''[[Italian Empire]]''' (1882–1960)
** [[File:Eritrea COA.svg|21x21px]] [[Italian Eritrea|Eritrea]] (1882–1947)
** [[File:Italian Somaliland COA.svg|21x21px]] [[Italian Somaliland|Somaliland]] (1889–1947, 1950–1960 as [[Trust Territory of Somaliland|Italian Trust Territory of Somaliland]])
** {{Flagdeco|Ethiopia|variant=1897}} [[Italian Ethiopia|Ethiopia]] (1936–1941)
*** [[File:Scudo Africa Orientale Italiana.svg|21x21px]] [[Italian East Africa]] (formed by merging Eritrea, Somaliland and Ethiopia: 1936–1947)
** [[File:Cyrenaica.svg|21x21px]] [[Italian Cyrenaica|Cyrenaica]] (1912–1947)
** [[File:Tripolitana COA.svg|21x21px]] [[Italian Tripolitania|Tripolitania]] (1912–1947)
*** [[File:Coat of arms of Italian Libya (1940–1943).svg|21x21px]] [[Italian Libya|Libya]] (Formed by merging Cyrenaica and Tripolitania in 1934. It dissolved in 1947. It also included the [[Southern Military Territory|Southern Military Territory of Fezzan]])
** [[File:Arms of the Italian Islands of the Aegean.svg|21x21px]] [[Italian Islands of the Aegean]] (1912–1947)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Albania (1939–1943).svg}} [[Italian protectorate of Albania (1939–1943)|Italian Albania]] (1939–1943)
** [[Italian occupation of France|Italian France]] (1940–1943)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Montenegro (1905–1918, 1941–1944).svg}} [[Italian governorate of Montenegro|Italian Montenegro]] (1941–1943)
** [[Italian concession of Tientsin]] (1901–1947)
* {{Flagicon|Portugal}} '''[[Portuguese Empire]]''' (1415–1999)
** [[Evolution of the Portuguese Empire]]
** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Portugal (1640).svg}} [[Portuguese colonization of the Americas]]
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Kingdom of Brazil.svg}} [[Colonial Brazil]] (1500–1815)
** [[File:Coat of arms of Portuguese India (1951-1974).svg|26x26px]] [[Portuguese India]] (1505–1961)
** [[File:Colonial Seal of Ceylon.svg|24x24px]] [[Portuguese Ceylon]] (1598–1658)
** [[File:Coat of arms of Portuguese Timor (1951-1975).svg|26x26px]] [[Portuguese Timor]] (1702–1975)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Government of Portuguese Macau (1951-1976).svg}} [[Portuguese Macau]] (1557–1999)
** [[Portuguese Malacca]] (1511–1641)
** [[Portuguese Nagasaki]] (1580–1587)
** [[Portuguese Oman]] (1507–1656)
** [[Tamão]] (1514–1521)
** [[Portuguese Africa (disambiguation)|Portuguese Africa]]
*** [[File:Coat of arms of Portuguese East Africa (1951-1975).svg|26x26px]] [[Portuguese East Africa]] (1498–1975)
*** [[File:Coat of arms of Portuguese West Africa (1951-1975).svg|26x26px]][[Portuguese West Africa]] (1575–1975)
*** [[File:Coat of arms of Portuguese Guinea (1951-1974).svg|26x26px]][[Portuguese Guinea]] (1474–1974) (1974–1975)
*** [[File:Coat of arms of Portuguese Cape Verde (1951-1975).svg|26x26px]] [[Portuguese Cape Verde]] (1462–1975)
*** [[File:Coat of arms of Portuguese Sao Tome and Principe (1951-1975).svg|26x26px]] [[Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe]] (1470–1975)
*** [[Fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá]] (1721–1961)
*** [[Portuguese Gold Coast]] (1482–1642)
* {{Flagicon|Russian Empire}} '''[[Russian Empire]]''' (1721–1917){{Main|Territorial evolution of Russia}}
** [[Russian conquest of Siberia|Siberia]]
** [[Russian conquest of the Caucasus|Caucasus]]
** [[Russian conquest of Central Asia|Central Asia]]
** [[Russian colonization of North America]]:
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Russian-American Company.svg}} [[Russian America]] (1733–1867)
** [[Sagallo]] (1889)
** [[Lüshunkou District#Late-19th century colonial era|Russian Port Arthur]]
** [[Russian concession of Tianjin|Russian concession in Tientsin]]
* {{Flagicon|Spain}} '''[[Spanish Empire]]''' (1492–1825/1898-1975){{Main|List of countries that have gained independence from Spain}}
** [[Spanish colonization of the Americas]]
*** {{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1506}} [[New Spain|Viceroyalty of New Spain]]
*** {{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1506}} [[Viceroyalty of Peru]]
*** {{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1701}} [[Viceroyalty of New Granada]]
*** {{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1785}} [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata]]
** {{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1506}} [[Spanish East Indies]] (1565–1898)<ref>part of the [[Viceroyalty of New Spain]] before 1821.</ref>
*** {{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1506}} [[Captaincy General of the Philippines]]
** {{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1785}} [[Spanish Africa (disambiguation)|Spanish Africa]]
*** [[File:Coat of Arms of the Portuguese and Spanish Guinea.svg|21x21px]] [[Spanish Guinea]] (1778–1968)<ref>Part of the [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata]] before 1810.</ref>
*** [[File:Coat of Arms of the Spanish Sahara.svg|21x21px]] [[Spanish Sahara]] (1884–1975)
*** {{Flagicon|Morocco|variant=1913}} [[Spanish protectorate in Morocco]] (1912–1956)
*** [[File:Coat of Arms of the Spanish Province of Sidi Ifni.svg|28x28px]] [[Ifni]] ([[Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña|1476–1524]]/1859–1969).
** Possessions of the [[Catholic Monarchs of Spain]] and of {{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1506}} [[Habsburg Spain]] in Europe:
***[[Kingdom of Naples]] (1503-1700)
***[[Kingdom of Sicily]] (1479-1700)
***[[Kingdom of Sardinia]] (1479-1700)
***{{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1506}} [[File:Coat of arms of the House of Bourbon-Parma.svg|24x24px]] [[Duchy of Milan]] (1559–1706)<ref>During the reign of [[Philip V of Spain|Philip V]] of [[House of Bourbon|Borbon]], an intense diplomatic and military activity was developed with which the recovery of a significant Spanish presence in Italy was achieved. He placed several of his sons as independent sovereigns in different territories, such as the [[Duchy of Parma]] and especially the [[Kingdom of Naples]], where the spanish [[House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]] and [[House of Bourbon-Parma]] ruled until 1860.</ref>
***{{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1506}} [[Spanish Netherlands]] (1556–1713)
* {{Flagicon|Sweden}} '''[[Swedish overseas colonies|Swedish Empire]]''' (1638–1663, 1733, 1784–1878)
** [[Swedish colonies in the Americas]]
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Sweden (1562–1650).svg}} [[New Sweden]] (1638–1655)
*** {{Flagicon image|Swedish civil ensign (1844–1905).svg}} [[Swedish colony of Saint Barthélemy]] (1784–1878)
*** {{Flagicon|Sweden}} [[Guadeloupe]] (1813–1814)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Sweden (1562–1650).svg}} [[Swedish Gold Coast]] (1650–1658, 1660–1663)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Sweden (1562–1650).svg}} [[Swedish Africa Company]]
** {{Flagicon|Sweden}} [[Swedish East India Company]]
** {{Flagicon|Sweden}} [[Parangipettai]] (1733)
** {{Flagicon|Sweden}} Swedish Factory, [[Canton Factories]] (1757–1860)

<br>
'''{{big|[[Asia]]n}}''':
* {{Flagicon|Empire of Japan}} [[Japanese colonial empire|'''Japanese Empire''']] (1868–1945){{Main|List of territories occupied by Imperial Japan}}
** {{Flagicon|Hokkaido}} [[Ezo]] as [[Hokkaido]] (1869–present)
** {{Flagicon|Okinawa}} [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryukyu]] as [[Okinawa Prefecture]] (1879–1945 & 1972–present)<ref>Gregory Smits (1999). ''Visions of Ryukyu: Early-Modern Thought and Politics''. Honolulu:  University of Hawai'i Press, 143–149·</ref>
** [[File:Seal of the Government-General of Taiwan.svg|21x21px]] [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Taiwan]] (1895–1945)
** [[File:Emblem_of_Karafuto_Prefecture.svg|21x21px]] [[Karafuto Prefecture]] (1905–1949)
**  [[File:Seal of the Government-General of Korea.svg|21x21px]] [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea]] (1910–1945)
**[[File:Emblem of the South Pacific Mandate.svg|21x21px]] [[South Seas Mandate]] (1919–1947)
** {{Flag|Manchukuo}} (1932–1945)
** {{Flagicon|Empire of Japan}} [[Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere]] (1932–1945)
* {{Flagicon|Turkey}} '''[[Ottoman Empire]]''' (1354–1908)
{{Main|Administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire|Vassal and tributary states of the Ottoman Empire}}
** Europe:
*** {{Flag|Cretan State}} (1898–1913)
*** {{Flag|Crimean Khanate}} (1475–1774)
*** {{Flagdeco|Ottoman Empire}} [[Ottoman Albania]] (1479–1912)
*** {{Flagdeco|Ottoman Empire}} [[Ottoman Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (1463–1908)
*** {{Flagdeco|Ottoman Empire}} [[Ottoman Bulgaria]] (1396–1878)
*** {{Flagdeco|Ottoman Empire}} [[Ottoman Crete]] (1667–1898)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1844–1922).svg}} [[Ottoman Cyprus]] (1571–1878)
*** {{Flagdeco|Ottoman Empire}} [[Ottoman Greece]] (1453–1830)
*** {{Flagdeco|Ottoman Empire}} [[Ottoman Hungary]] (1541–1699)
*** {{Flagdeco|Ottoman Empire}} [[Ottoman Serbia]] (1459–1804)
*** {{Flagdeco|Ottoman Empire}} [[Rumelia Eyalet]] (1365–1867)
*** {{Flagdeco|Ottoman Empire}} [[Sanjak of Rhodes]] (1522–1912)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia (1859 - 1862).svg}} [[United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia]] (1859–1862)
** Asia:
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Aceh Sultanate.png}} [[Aceh Sultanate|Protectorate of Aceh]] (1496–1903)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1844–1922).svg}} [[Ottoman Arabia]] (1517–1919)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1844–1922).svg}} [[Ottoman Iraq]] (1538–1918)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1844–1922).svg}} [[Ottoman Syria]] (1517–1918)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Emirate of Riyadh (1902-1913).svg}} [[Emirate of Nejd]] (1818-1914)
** Africa:
*** {{Flag|Khedivate of Egypt}} (1867–1914)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Egypt (1844-1867).svg}} [[Turco-Egyptian Sudan]] (1820–1885)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Egypt (1844-1867).svg}} [[Ottoman Egypt]] (1517–1914)
*** {{Flagdeco|Ottoman Empire}} [[Habesh Eyalet|Ottoman Absinia]] (1554–1872)
*** {{Flag|Ottoman Algeria}} (1516–1830)
*** {{Flag|Ottoman Tripolitania}} (1551–1912)
*** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Ottoman Tunisia (1685).svg}} [[Ottoman Tunisia]] (1574–1881)

<br>
'''{{big|Other countries with informal colonial possessions}}''':

* {{Flagicon|United States}} '''[[United States]]''' (1816–[[Unincorporated territories of the United States|present]]){{Main|American imperialism|Territories of the United States}}
** [[United States territorial acquisitions|United States overseas territorial acquisitions]]
*** {{Flag|American Samoa}} (1899–Present)
*** {{Flag|Guam}} (1898–Present)
*** {{Flag|Northern Mariana Islands}} (1986–Present)
*** {{Flag|Puerto Rico}} (1898–Present)
*** {{Flag|United States Virgin Islands}} (1917–Present)
*** {{flagicon|Philippines|variant=1936}} [[Commonwealth of the Philippines]] (1935–1946)
*** {{flagicon|Philippines|variant=1919}} [[Insular Government of the Philippine Islands]] (1902–1935)
*** [[File:Flag of Hawaii.svg|23x23px]] [[Republic of Hawaii]] (1898–1900)
*** {{Flagicon|United States}} [[United States Minor Outlying Islands|Minor Outlying Islands]] (1857–Present)
*** [[Guano Islands Act#Claims|Guano Islands Act Claims]] (1856–Present)
*** [[Canton and Enderbury Islands]] (1939–1979)
*** [[File:Seal of High Commissioner of the Ryukyu Islands.svg|25x25px]] [[United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands|Ryukyu Islands]] (1950–1972)
*** {{Flag|Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands}} (1947–1994)
** [[American Colonization Society]] (1816–1847)
*** [[Colony of Liberia]] (1821–1847)
**** [[Kentucky in Africa]] (1828–1847)
**** [[Republic of Maryland|Maryland-in-Africa]] (1834–1857)<ref>[[Maryland State Colonization Society]]</ref>
**** [[Mississippi-in-Africa]] (1835–1842)
**[[Concessions and leases in international relations#American concessions|American Concessions]]
*** [[File:Old emblem of Shanghai.svg|24x24px]] [[American Concession (Shanghai)|American Concession in Shanghai]] (1848–1863)
*** [[Foreign concessions in Tianjin|American concession in Tianjin]] (1869–1902)
*** [[American Trading Company of Borneo]] (1865–1881)
*** [[Corn Islands]] (1914–1971)
*** [[File:Seal of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.svg|21x21px]] [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|Guantanamo Bay]] (1903–present)
*** [[File:Flag of Panama Canal Zone.svg|24x24px]] [[Panama Canal Zone]] (1903–1979)
*** [[Pituffik Space Base]] (1943–present)
* {{Flagicon|Austrian Empire}} '''[[Habsburg monarchy]] [[Austrian colonial policy|Colonies]]'''<ref name="HRE" /> and the {{Flagicon|Austria-Hungary}} '''[[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empire]]''' (1719–1750, 1778–1783, 1901–1917)
** [[Austrian colonial policy]]
*** {{Flagicon image|Ostend company flag.png}} [[Ostend Company]]
**** [[Bankipur (Bengal)]]
**** [[Covelong]]
*** [[Austrian East India Company]]
**** [[Austrian colonisation of Nicobar Islands]] (1778–1785)
**** [[History of Maputo#Austrian colonization, 1770s|Austrian Delagoa Bay]] (1773–1781)
**** [[Móric Benyovszky|Móric Benyovszky's Madagascar]] (1774–1779)
**** [[North Borneo|Austrian North Borneo]]
** [[Franz Josef Land]]
** [[Austro-Hungarian concession of Tianjin]] (1901–1917)
** Hungarian colonial attempts<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://index.hu/tudomany/tortenelem/2014/11/03/ahol_majdnem_magyar_gyarmatok_lettek/|title = Ahol majdnem magyar gyarmatok lettek|date = 3 November 2014|access-date = 8 April 2022|archive-date = 28 May 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220528210844/https://index.hu/tudomany/tortenelem/2014/11/03/ahol_majdnem_magyar_gyarmatok_lettek/|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = https://dailynewshungary.com/the-hungarian-who-wanted-to-colonize-somalia-probably-with-the-help-of-budapest/|title = The Hungarian who wanted to colonise Somalia probably with the help of Budapest|date = 28 June 2019|access-date = 8 April 2022|archive-date = 6 December 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221206013029/https://dailynewshungary.com/the-hungarian-who-wanted-to-colonize-somalia-probably-with-the-help-of-budapest/|url-status = live}}</ref>
* {{Flagdeco|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth}} '''[[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]''' (1637–1795) and '''{{Flag|Poland}}''' colonial initiatives
** {{Flagicon|Courland}} '''[[Duchy of Courland and Semigallia]]''' (a [[Latvia|Latvian]] vassal of Poland–Lithuania in 1637–1690):
*** [[Couronian colonization|Couronian colonization in Africa]]
*** [[Couronian colonization of the Americas]]
** [[Jaxa (state)|Jaxa]] (1665–1685)
** [[Toco]] (1688–1689)
** [[Colonization attempts by Poland]]
** [[Polish occupation zone in Germany]]
* {{flagicon|Holy Roman Empire}} '''[[List of former German colonies|German colonial initiatives]]''' (1683–1721)
** [[List of former German colonies#Prussia|Colonies]] of {{Flagicon image|Flag of Brandenburg-Prusia.png}} [[Brandenburg-Prussia]] (1683–1721)<ref name="HRE">Part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] [[realm]] before 1804.</ref>
** [[Hanauish Indies|Colonies]] of [[File:Wappen Hanau 2.svg|23x23px]] [[County of Hanau]]<ref>part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] before 1736</ref>
** [[Askania-Nova (urban-type settlement)|Neu-Askania]] (1828–1856)
** [[German colonization of the Americas]]
*** [[Klein-Venedig]] (1528–1546)
* '''{{flagicon|Holy Roman Empire}} Pre-[[Unification of Italy|unification]] Italian colonialism'''{{Main|Italy and the colonization of the Americas|Maritime republics}}
** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (1562-1737).svg}} '''[[Grand Duchy of Tuscany]]''': [[Thornton expedition]] (1608–1609)
** {{Flagicon image|Bandiera del Regno di Sicilia 4.svg}} '''[[Kingdom of Sicily]]''': [[Kingdom of Africa]] (1135–1160)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.svg}} '''[[Knights Hospitaller]]''' ([[History of Malta under the Order of Saint John|'''Malta''']], a vassal of the [[File:Bandiera del Regno di Sicilia 4.svg|19x19px]] '''[[Kingdom of Sicily]]'''): [[Hospitaller colonization of the Americas]]
** '''{{Flag|Republic of Genoa}}:''' [[Genoese colonies]]
** '''{{Flag|Republic of Venice}}:''' [[Stato da Màr]]
* {{Flagicon|Norway}} '''[[Norway]]'''
** [[List of possessions of Norway]] (1920–present)
** [[Erik the Red's Land]]
** [[Dependencies of Norway|Norway Antarctic and sub-Antarctic possessions]] (1927–1957)<ref>The [[dependencies of Norway]] are uninhabited, thus as end date is taken the latest date of full Norwegian sovereignty extension to such territory, instead of the date of [[decolonization]] or integration in the administrative structures of the mainland.
[[Bouvet Island]] claimed in 1927, under Norway sovereignty since 1930.<br />[[Peter I Island]] claimed in 1929, under Norway sovereignty since 1933.<br />[[Queen Maud Land]] claimed in 1938, under Norway sovereignty since 1957.<br />Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land fall under the scope of the [[Antarctic Treaty System]] since 1961.</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Kingdom of Scotland}} '''[[Kingdom of Scotland]]''' (1621–1707)
** [[Scottish colonization of the Americas]]
* {{Flagicon|Morocco}} '''[[Kingdom of Morocco]]''' (1975–present)
** [[Southern Provinces]]
* {{Flagicon image|Om 1958.gif}} '''[[Omani Empire]]''' (1652–1892)
** [[Yaruba dynasty]] (1624–1742)
** {{Flagicon image|Flag of Muscat.svg}} [[Sultanate of Muscat]] (1652–1820)
** {{Flag|Sultanate of Zanzibar}} (taken by Oman in 1698, became capital of the Omani Sultanate or Empire from 1632 or 1640; until 1890)
** [[Mombasa]] (1698–1728, 1729–1744, 1837–1890)
** [[Gwadar]] (1783–1958)
* '''[[History of China#Imperial China|Chinese Empire]]''' (from '''[[Qin dynasty]] to {{Flagicon|China|variant=1889}} [[Qing dynasty]]'''), {{Flagicon|China|variant=1912}} (221 BC – 1911)
** {{Main|Chinese imperialism}}
*** [[Tributary system of China|Imperial Chinese Tributary System]]
*** [[Guangxi]]
*** [[Hainan]] (since the Han dynasty)
**** [[Spratly Islands|Nansha Islands]]
**** [[Paracel Islands|Xisha Islands]]
*** [[Manchuria]] (during the Tang, Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties)
**** [[Manchuria]] ([[Northeast China]])
**** [[Outer Manchuria]]
***** [[Sakhalin|Kuye Island]]
*** [[Korea]]
**** [[Canghai Commandery]](A commandery that self subjugated to Han dynasty from Dongye)
**** [[Four Commanderies of Han]] (Established after the fall of Gojoseon)
**** [[Daifang Commandery]] (Offshoot of the former four commanderies of Han that existed in the 3rd to 4th century)
**** Colonization attempts of the [[Tang dynasty]] after Unification of the three kingdoms of Korea ([[Gyerim Territory Area Command]], [[Protectorate General to Pacify the East]] and [[Ungjin Commandery]])
**** [[Dongnyeong Prefectures]], [[Ssangseong Prefectures]] and [[Tamna prefectures]] (Yuan dynasty)
*** [[Inner Mongolia]]
*** [[Outer Mongolia]] (during for example the Tang and Qing dynasties)
**** [[Tuva|Tannu Uriankhai]]
*** [[Taiwan]] (during the Qing dynasty)
*** [[Tibet]] (during the Yuan and Qing dynasties)
*** [[Yunnan]]
*** [[Chinese domination of Vietnam|Vietnam]] (from the Han to Tang dynasties, and during the early Ming dynasty)
*** [[Xinjiang]]
*** [[Central Asia]] (during the Tang and Qing dynasties)
**** [[Protectorate General to Pacify the West]]
* {{Flagicon|Ethiopian Empire}} '''[[Ethiopian Empire|Ethiopian]]''' '''colonies''' '''as the''' '''[[Kingdom of Aksum#Kaleb of Axum, Saint Elesbaan|Aksum Empire]] and [[Abyssinian empire]]'''
** [[Ancient history of Yemen#Kingdom of Ḥimyar (2nd century BCE – 525 CE)|Viceroyalty of Yemen]] (520–578)
** [[Menelik II's conquests|Ethiopian South-Eastern colonization]] (1878–present)
*** [[Somali Region|Ethiopian Somali]]
*** [[Oromia]]
*** [[Gambela Region|Gambela]]
*** [[Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region|Southern Nations]]
** [[Ethiopian-Eritrean Federation|Ethiopian-Eritrean]]/[[Eritrea Province]] (1952–1993)
* {{Flagicon|Iran}} '''[[Persian Empire (disambiguation)|Persian Empires]]'''
** [[History of Oman#Persian period|Oman]] (5th century BC–628; [[Afsharid conquests in the Persian Gulf and Oman|1743–1747]])
** [[Bahrain]] (5th century BC–629; [[Uyunid dynasty|1077–1253]], [[Ormus#New Hormuz|1330–1507]])
** [[Sasanian Yemen]] (570–628)
** [[Bijapur Sultan]] (1490-1686)
** [[Persianization]] of regions within [[Greater Iran]]
* '''[[Rashidun Caliphate]], [[Umayyad Caliphate]] and {{Flagicon image|Abbasid banner.svg}} [[Abbasid Caliphate]]'''
** Umayyad [[Al-Andalus]] (Arab Hispania)
*** [[Umayyad invasion of Gaul|Umayyad Gaul]] (Arab Southern France)
** [[Arab migrations to the Maghreb|Arab Maghreb]]
** [[Aghlabids]] colonies from [[Ifriqiya]]
*** [[History of Islam in southern Italy|Southern Italy]]
**** [[Emirate of Sicily]]
**** [[Emirate of Bari]]
**** [[Islam in Malta#History|Malta]]
**[[Al-Jazira (caliphal province)|Al-Jazira (Arab Mesopotamia)]]
***[[Al-Awasim]]
**[[Arabs in Iran|Arab Iran]]
***[[Arabistan (Iran)|Arabistan]] 
***[[Khamseh]]
**[[Central Asian Arabic|Arab Central Asian]]
***[[Khorasani Arabs|Arab Khorasan]]
**[[Arminiya|Arminiya (Arab Caucasus)]]
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of Chola Kingdom.png}}''' [[Chola empire|Chola Empire]]'''
** [[Srivijaya#Under the Cholas|Srivijaya]]
** [[Chola conquest of Anuradhapura|Sri Lanka]]
* '''{{Country|Sikh Empire}}''' (1799–1849)
** {{Country|Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)}} (1819–1846)
** {{Country|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa}} (1834–1849)

==See also==
* [[Analysis of Western European colonialism and colonization]]
* [[Colonial troops]]
* [[Empire]]
* [[Great Divergence]]
* [[Hegemony]]
* [[History of Western civilization]]
* [[Imperialism]]
* [[List of ancient great powers]]
* [[List of largest empires]]
* [[List of medieval great powers]]
* [[List of modern great powers]]
* [[Middle Eastern empires]]
* [[Nomadic empire]]
* [[The empire on which the sun never sets]]

==Notes and references==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://vimeo.com/6437816 Visualizing western empires decline]

{{Empires}}
{{Colonization}}
{{Autonomous types of first-tier administration}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colonial Empire}}
[[Category:History of colonialism|Empire]]
[[Category:Empires]]
[[Category:Overseas empires| ]]