When the British Empire was at its peak, it was the largest union in the history of mankind. It controlled over one fourth of the planet’s population. This list compiles the top 10 British colonies in terms of their economies and the benefits that the Britons derived from them.
1. Australia (1788 – 1911)
Australia served as Britain’s penal colony for exiled murderers and thieves. But the British stopped using it for this purpose when they realized that it was cheaper to ship convicts to Ireland. After the Brits invasion of this continent, 90% of the Aborigines and their native culture became extinct.
2. Canada (1764- 1867)
Canada was initially known as British North America, as this name pleased Queen Victoria. In 1867, Upper and Lower Canada merged to form Canada. Gradually, Canada loosened her ties with Great Britain. It was only lately in 1963, that the Canadian flag, was adopted by the country.
3. Singapore (1867- 1963)
Before Singapore was occupied by the Europeans, it was a Malay fishing site. It grew to become the primary hub of the colonial regime in South East Asia and served as a military and commercial port. Singapore became a republic in 1965. This young nation is the 5th wealthiest in the world, in terms of per capita GDP. It is also the 10th most expensive place to live in.
4. Hong Kong (1842- 1997)
Its official name is Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The sovereignty of this dynamic domain was handed over to the Peoples Republic of China in 1997. Under the British, it was a successful nation in drug dealing, primarily opium. Despite being ceded to the crown, they have developed their identity, principally as a flourishing tourist estate.
5. South Africa (1806-1910)
Britain transported over 3.5 million slaves from Africa to America. The racial discrimination in Africa began at the time of commonality rule and later grew as Apartheid. Presently, this is the only polity in the world which has voluntarily given up its nuclear weapons program.