Colony - Current Colonies (examples)

Current Colonies (examples)

Few colonies in the traditional sense of the term remain, with exceptions listed below. However, the Channel Islands are not UK colonies but a remnant of the Duchy of Normandy. Some of the former colonies have been integrated as dependent areas or have closer integration with the country.

Of Morocco

• Río de Oro/Western Sahara is considered by many to be a colony of Morocco, and the last colony on the African continent.

Of Chile

• Easter Island is a special territory incorporated to Chile. Today, natives have full rights as Chilean citizens.

Of France

• French Polynesia
• Saint Barthélemy
• Saint Martin
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon
• Wallis and Futuna
• New Caledonia
• Réunion

Of the United Kingdom

• The British Overseas Territories - such as the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar and Falkland Islands - are former Crown Colonies. Many of the larger, populated territories, have their own political systems but are still under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom and are managed by Governors.

Of the United States

• Similar to Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States Virgin Islands are considered by some to have a colonial relationship with the United States because their citizens are subject to the laws of the United States Congress passed without their consent. These territories, along with Puerto Rico, are known as unincorporated territories.
• Puerto Rico's subjection to US sovereignty is considered by many countries to constitute a colonial imposition because Puerto Ricans are subject to laws passed by the United States Congress without their consent, due to constitutional exclusion from electoral participation in elections of the officials that hold ultimate sovereignty over their national government, however its population are U.S. citizens. According to the US President's Task Force Report on the Political Status of Puerto Rico the US may dispose of Puerto Rico by transferring it to another sovereign country as a mere disposition of property. In a 2007 letter addressed to then-United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the then-governor of Puerto Rico, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, accused the US of having deceived the United Nations and the international community in 1953, when it succeeded in having the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico recognized as a provisional decolonized status subject to continued monitoring; Acevedo Vilá stated that it was ironic that this is the position taken by the Government of Iran and that the Governor of Puerto Rico will soon feel forced to support Iran's claims regarding the US government's alleged-hypocritical actions with regards to Puerto Rico's "colonial" status. On June 15, 2009, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization approved a draft resolution calling on the Government of the United States to expedite a process that would allow the Puerto Rican people to exercise fully their inalienable right to self-determination and independence. Subsequent actions by the governments of the United States and Puerto Rico paved the way for the Puerto Rican status referendum, 2012, scheduled to be held on 6 November 2012. See Puerto Rico Recent developments for more information.

Of New Zealand

• Tokelau is a colony of New Zealand.