Interactive Map
Imperial remnants
The world's last colonies
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U.S. |  |
Denmark |  |
Netherlands |  |
Spain |  |
New Zealand |  |
France |  |
Britain |
U.S. colony
Puerto Rico
Acquired by the U.S. after the Spanish-American War in 1898, Puerto Rico is now a commonwealth territory with local government and a non-voting representative in Congress in Washington. There is a small independence movement and recurring debate about demanding full statehood within the U.S.
U.S. colony
Guam/Northern Marianas Islands
The U.S. acquired Guam from Spain after the Spanish-American War in 1898. There are political parties advocating several different arrangements, including independence, statehood or commonwealth status. None is widely supported. The Northern Marianas were Japanese territory until the Second World War when U.S. marines took them from Tokyo. Both territories are home to important U.S. military bases.
U.S. colony
American Samoa
A treaty in 1899 between the U.S. and Germany divided the Samoan archipelago between them. The western islands became the independent state of Samoa in 1962. American Samoa remains a U.S. possession with limited self-government and an economy dependent on tourism, tuna fishing and public sector employment.
Denmark colony
Faroes Islands
These rocky, remote islands in the North Atlantic are largely autonomous from Denmark, which controls just defence, foreign policy and some aspects of law. Faroese people have close ties to other islands in the area, including the Shetlands, Orkneys and Iceland. There is a substantial independence movement.
Denmark colony
Greenland
The largest remaining colony in the world in geographic size, Greenland is home to just 57,000 people, mostly Inuit. Early Viking explorers landed on the shores of Greenland more than a thousand years ago. Many Greenlanders would like more autonomy and a growing number favour independence from Copenhagen.
Netherlands colony
Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao
These three islands are tourist paradises, but they have radically different politics. Aruba has a large degree of autonomy within the Netherlands, but has indefinitely postponed plans for independence, probably because of its buoyant economy and ties to Europe. Bonaire and Curacao are part of the Netherlands Antilles, grouped with Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten, farther north.
Netherlands colony
Netherlands Antilles
A collection of tiny islands, one of them — Sint Maarten, shared with France — the Netherlands Antilles have been Dutch possessions for centuries. Saba is home to the highest point in the Netherlands (888 m). Neighbouring Sint Eustatisus is little better than a single volcanic peak There is no significant independence movement, but islanders largely agree that they'd like to be separate colonies, and they will be. The Netherlands Antilles will be broken up in 2008.
New Zealand colony
Tokelau
Just three coral atolls make up this tiny colony. According to the CIA World Factbook, Tokelau has the smallest economy in the world, with a gross domestic product of just $1 million U.S. Some islanders want more autonomy, but few favour independence.
Spanish colony
Ceuta
Along with the nearby city of Melilla, this tiny enclave of Spain is disputed territory with Morocco. Spain has controlled the cities since the 15th century. The biggest challenge in both territories is illegal immigration by Africans who want to go to Europe.
French colony
French Polynesia
Tahiti is the best known of these numerous and scattered islands in the Pacific Ocean. Although France has granted the territory a great deal of autonomy, independence is a hot political topic. There have occasionally been riots and unrest over the issue.
French colony
St. Pierre and Miquelon
Two rocky islets just off the coast of Newfoundland are all that's left of the colony of New France, the first significant European settlement in Canada. Governed from Paris for hundreds of years, the islands are a haven of French culture, food and wine just a day trip from Fortune, N.L.
French colony
French West Indies
These islands are integrated into domestic French politics as overseas departments and receive generous government subsidies. Islanders have full rights as French citizens, and tourism and trade with France are a mainstay of the rather prosperous economies of the territory. There's a very limited independence movement.
French colony
Réunion and Mayotte
Réunion is near the independent island state of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and has a similar multi-racial population of Africans, South Asians, Europeans and Arabs. Mayotte is near the Comoros, which voted for independence from France in 1976. Residents of Mayotte voted the other way and remain a French colony.
French colony
French Guiana
The largest French overseas territory, this slice of northeastern South America is lush and well forested. But it's also where European and French space programs launch rockets into space. The economy is heavily dependent on subsidies and French investment.
French colony
New Caledonia
Rich in minerals and timber, this Pacific island group has seen much violence and unrest over the related issues of independence and settlement from France. Paris has agreed to move toward a referendum to determine the territory's future, but not before 2014.
British colony
Pitcairn Islands
Only about 50 people remain on the main island in this isolated group. All are descended from the British sailors who mutinied against Captain William Bligh of HMS Bounty in 1789. There have been attempts to settle them in more accessible places, but many keep coming back to Pitcairn.
British colony
British West Indies
Anguilla's people rebelled when Britain declared them independent and grouped them in a new nation with St. Kitt's and Nevis in 1957. Five London bobbies restored order and the island remains a proud part of the United Kingdom. Montserrat is known for its erupting volcano and the migration of a third of its population. The British Virgin Islands are a favourite tourist and cruise ship destination.
British colony
Bermuda
A collection of islets and atolls in the mid-Atlantic, Bermuda is Britain's oldest colony, first claimed in 1609. There is an independence movement, but Bermudans enjoy a thriving economy based on tourism and banking, and seem little inclined to break their ties with London.
British colony
Falkland Islands
Known to Argentines as Las Malvinas, these bleak islands in the remote south Atlantic are home to a doughty population of some 2,300 people and many more sheep. Britain and Argentina fought a brief and fierce war over the islands in 1982. More than 900 people died and Britain eventually won. There's a rich fishery and possible offshore oil and gas resources around the Falklands.
British colony
Saint Helena
Famous as the place where Napoleon died in exile, Saint Helena is one of several British possessions in the southeast Atlantic Ocean. The others are Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, the most isolated piece of territory on Earth. In all, about 5,000 people live rather quiet lives on the three islands, subsidized by London and visited rarely by outsiders.
British colony
Gibraltar
A tiny (6.5-square-kilometre) scrap of British territory attached to Spain, Gibraltar has long been claimed by Madrid. Most of the 28,000 Gibraltarians seem to prefer being British, not least because of their economy based on tourism and other links to London.
British colony
Diego Garcia
Also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, this island group is home to a United States military base. Native islanders say they were forcibly evicted in the 1950s and '60s to make way for U.S. forces. Britain maintains that only a few hundred islanders were asked to leave. British courts have consistently found in favour of the islanders, who live now in Mauritius, but say they intend to return to Diego Garcia. Both Britain and U.S. say they'll oppose this.