For the biological meaning of colony, see colony. For human colonies outside Earth, see space colonization.

In politics and in history, a colony is an administrative unit under the control of another entity (usually an autonomous state) geographically distant.

In the modern usage, colony is generally distinguished from oversea possession. In the former case, the local population, or at least the part of it not coming from the controlling country, does not enjoy full citizenship rights. The political process is generally restricted, especially excluding questions of independence. In the latter case, citizens are equal regardless of origin and it is possible for legal independentist movements to form; should they gain a majority in the oversea possession, the question of independence may be brought, for instance, to referendum.

Colony may also be used for countries that, while independent or considering themselves independent of a former colonizing power, still have a political and social structure where the rulers are a minority originating from the colonizing power. Such was the case with Rhodesia after the Unilateral Declaration of Independence.

Originally, as with the ancient (Hellenic) Greek apoikia, the term colonization referred to the foundation of a new city or settlement, more often than not with nonviolent means (but see for instance the Athenian re-colonisation of Melos after wiping out the earlier settlement). The term colony is derived from the Latin colonia, which indicated a place meant for agricultural activities; these Roman colonies and others like them were in fact usually either conquered so as to be inhabited by these workers, or else established as a cheap way of securing conquests made for other reasons. The name of the German city Cologne also derives from colonia. In the modern era, communities founded by colonists or settlers became known as settler colonies.

During the "age of imperialism", from arguably the 15th century until the mid-20th century, European states and others took political control of much of the world's population and landmass. The term "colony" came to mean an overseas district with a majority indigenous population, administered by a distant colonial government. (Exceptions occurred: Russian colonies in Central Asia and Siberia, and German colonies in Eastern Europe were not "overseas"; British colonies (or "overseas territories") like the Falkland Islands and Tristan da Cunha lacked a native population.) Most non-European countries were colonies of Europe at one time or another, or were handled in a quasi-colonial manner.

The independence of these colonies began with that of 13 colonies of Britain that formed the United States, finalised in 1783 with the conclusion of a war begun in 1776, and has continued until about the present time, with for example Algeria and East Timor being relinquished by European powers only in 1962 and 1975 respectively (although the latter was forcibly made an Indonesian possession instead of becoming fully independent). This process is called decolonization, though the use of a single term obscures an important distinction between the process of the settler population breaking its links with the mother country while maintaining local political supremacy and that of the indigenous population reasserting themselves (possibly through the expulsion of the settler population).

See also: British Empire, French colonial empire, Colonialism, Colonial mentality ,Colonization, British Nationality Law, Slavery, Imperialism, New Imperialism, settler.

Compare protectorate, Crown colony, dominion.

The Latin name colonia also became the name of several towns, the most famous of which is Cologne.

• Assyria was originally a colony of Babylonia
• Carthage was a Phoenician colony
• Cyrene was a colony of the Greeks of Thera
• Naples formed as a Greek colony

• India was a colony of the United Kingdom until 1947
• Korea was a colony of Japan
• The Philippines was a colony of the United States until 1946

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Gibraltar
• Montserrat
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• British Antarctic Territory
• British Indian Ocean Territory
• Falkland Islands
• Pitcairn Island
• Saint Helena
• South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands

(Note: All citizens of those possessions enjoy full French citizenship rights, including the right to vote for national elections.)

• Corsica
• Europa Island
• Guadeloupe
• Martinique
• Réunion
• French Guiana
• French Polynesia
• French Southern and Antarctic Lands
• New Caledonia
• Mayotte
• St. Pierre and Miquelon
• Wallis and Futuna
• Bassas da India
• Glorioso Islands
• Juan de Nova Island
• Tromelin Island
• Clipperton Island

(Note: Citizens of US oversea possessions, including Puerto Rico, do not have the right to vote in US federal elections.)

• American Samoa
• Guam
• Hawaii
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• Puerto Rico
• Guantanamo Bay
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Baker Island
• Howland Island
• Johnston Atoll
• Kingman Reef
• Midway Atoll
• Navassa Island
• Palmyra Atoll
• Jarvis Island
• Wake Island

• Aruba
• Netherlands Antilles

• Faroe Islands
• Greenland