= British Overseas Territories = A history of the '''British Overseas Territories'''. See the [[WorldHistory/BritishEmpire|British Empire]] for earlier imperialism. <> ---- == From the British Perspective == Early British colonies were actually commercial ventures granted with royal charters. Extractive economies were not established; royal governorships were not valuable sinecures; very little power actually emanated from the crown to the colonies. It was mostly in the [[UnitedKingdom/Victoria|Victorian era]] that the British set out to establish a more conventional [[WorldHistory/BritishEmpire|empire]]. Decolonization made the imperial structure inconvenient, even after many of the more self-sufficient colonies established ''de facto'' or actual independence. The '''British Nationality Act''' in 1981 established the modern concept of '''British Dependent Territories'''. These territories are directly governed by the [[UnitedKingdom/Parliament|Parliament]], are administered by the [[UnitedKingdom/ForeignCommonwealthAndDevelopmentOffice|FCDO]], and hold the [[UnitedKingdom/Monarchs|British monarch as head of state]]. The '''British Overseas Territories Act''' in 2002 renamed these to (unsurprisingly) the '''British Overseas Territories'''. ---- == Akrotiri and Dhekelia == TODO: learn some government! ---- == Anguilla == TODO: learn some government! ---- == Bermuda == TODO: learn some government! ---- == British Antarctic Territory == TODO: learn some government! ---- == British Indian Ocean Territory == The '''British Indian Ocean Territory''' ('''BIOT''') refers to British possession over the '''Chagos Archipelago''', a series of (now) uninhabited atolls with next to no land area. These islands are primarily military bases, especially '''Diego Garcia'''. All inhabitants of Diego Garcia were rounded up and expelled to foreign states in 1971, so that the [[UnitedStates/ArmedForces|United States]] could construct a joint military base. Since 2021, small groups of refugees have become marooned on Diego Garcia. They are not recognized as having landed on British soil, so cannot request asylum. An unspecified number remain on the island in a concentration camp as stateless refugees. ---- == British Virgin Islands == TODO: learn some government! ---- == Cayman Islands == TODO: learn some government! ---- == Falkland Islands == TODO: learn some government! ---- == Gibraltar == TODO: learn some government! ---- == Montserrat == TODO: learn some government! ---- == Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands == TODO: learn some government! ---- == Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha == TODO: learn some government! ---- == South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands == TODO: learn some government! ---- == Turks and Caicos Islands == TODO: learn some government! ---- CategoryRicottone