The British Empire
Description
This section is from the book "The Home Cyclopedia Of History", by Charles Morris. Also available from Amazon: Home Cyclopedia of Necessary Knowledge.
The British Empire
The little United Kingdom just described, with less than 38,000,000 people and of diminutive area, is but the head of the gigantic body of the British Empire, the entire population of which, since the annexation of the South African Republics, in 1900, is over 381,000 000 souls, with a teritory covering about 11,500,000 square miles. The East Indian possessions of the British Empire alone embrace an area larger than the whole continent of Europe, exclusive of Russia. Her North American possessions are larger still, and, including Hudson Bay and the Great Lakes, cover an area greater than all Europe. The possessions in Australasia are next in size, embracing the great Island of Australia, which like Canada is divided into provinces with their provincial and central legislative bodies ; the islands of New Zealand and Borneo are other important British Colonies. Since the Boer-British War of 1899-1900-01 England's hold upon the Continent of Africa is supreme, and her subject territory there is of vast dimensions. How this stupendous empire has been built, together with the area and population of the different sections, is shown by the following table:
Colonies and Dependencies
Continents | Square Miles | How Obtained | When | Population |
Europe: Gibraltar............. | 2 | Conquest | 1704 | 25,869 |
Malta, etc.............. | 122 | Treaty cession | 1814 | 165,662 |
Asia: India (including Burmah) . . | 1,800,258 | Conquest.................. {Transfer from East India Co. | Begun 1757} 1858 | 287,223,431 |
Ceylon.................... | 25,365 | Treaty cession...... ... | 180I | 3,008,239 |
Cyprus............... | 3,584 | Convention with Turkey . . . | 1878 | 187,000 |
Aden and Socotra | 3,070 | (Aden) conquest.......... | 1839 | 44,000 |
Straits Settlements..... | I,500 | Treaty cession.............. | 1785-1824 | 506,577 |
Hong Kong................... | 30 1/2 | Treaty cession.............. | 1841 | 221,441 |
Labuan | 31 | Treaty cession.............. | 1846 | 5,853 |
British North Borneo .... | 31,000 | Cession to Company | 1877 | 15(5,000 |
Africa : Cape Colony............ | 221,310 | Treaty cession.......'. | 1588-1814 | 1,527,224 |
Natal | 21,150 | Annexation......... | 1843 | 543.913 |
St. Helena | 47 | Conquest.......... | 1673 | 4,116 |
Ascension | 38 | Annexation......... | 1815 | 200 |
Sierra Leone | 15,000 | Settlement......... | I787 | 300,000 |
339,900 | Treaty cession........ | 1872 | 23,455,000 | |
Mauritius, etc............. | 1,063 | Conquest and cession .... | 1810-1814 | 392,500 |
British South and East Africa | 1,989,247 | Conquest and cession .... | 1870-1890 | I4,9II,000 |
America : Canada Proper............ | 370,488 | Conquest.............. | I759-601 | |
New Brunswick............ | 28,200 | Treaty cession............ | 1763 | |
Nova Scotia........... | 20,907 | Conquest.................. | 1627 | |
Manitoba............... | 73,956 | Settlement................ | 1813 | 4.833.239 |
British Columbia, etc. . . | 383,300 | Transfer to Crown............. | 1858 | |
Northwest Territories .... | 3,257,500 | Charter to Company.................. | 1670 | |
Prince Edward Island .... | 2,133 | Conquest........ | 1745. | |
Newfoundland................ | 42,200 | Treaty cession............. | 1713 | 198,000 |
British Guiana....... | 76,000 | Conquest and cession .... | 1803-1814 | 282,000 |
British Honduras...... | 7,562 | Conquest.................... | 1798 | 28,000 |
Jamaica.......... | 4,193 | Conquest.................... | 1655 | 581,000 |
Trinidad and Tobago .... | 1,754 | Conquest.................... | 1797 | 205,000 |
Barbadoes................ | 166 | Settlement................... | 1605 | 172,000 |
Bahamas ....... | 5.794 | Settlement................... | 1629 | 48,000 |
Bermuda............... | 41 | Settlement................... | 1612 | 16,000 |
Other Islands....... | 8,742 | 255,000 | ||
Australasia : New South Wales ... | 310,700 | Settlement.............. | - I788 | 1,132,234 |
Victoria......., | 87,884 | Settlement................... | 1832 | 1,140,405 |
South Australia ... | 903,690 | Settlement................... | 1836 | 320,431 |
Queensland............... | 668,497 | Settlement................... | 1824 | 393,718 |
Western Australia .... | 975,876 | Settlement................... | 1828 | 49,782 |
Tasmania................ | 26,215 | Settlement................... | 1803 | 146,667 |
New Zealand .... | 104,032 | Purchase................... | 1845 | 626,658 |
Fiji...... | 7.423 | Cession from the natives . . . | 1874 | 125,402 |
New Guinea (British) .... | 234,768 | Annexation................... | 1884 | 350,000 |
*Statistics for Orange Free State and South African Republic not yet available.
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