|
|
Article: The British Empire: a setting sun.(Geoskills)
- Article from:
- Junior Scholastic
- Article date:
- September 29, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The sun never sets on the British Empire" was a popular saying for more than 100 years. Why? Britain once ruled an empire that stretched around the world and into nearly every time zone. It included Canada, Australia, India, and many colonies in Africa and the West Indies.
All that has changed now, as the map above shows. The U.S. was the first British colony to gain independence, in 1783. Canada became self-governing in 1867, and Australia in 1901. After World War II (1939-1945), most British colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean gained independence.
Today, many former British colonies belong to the Commonwealth of Nations, which includes about ...