History of Oceania

What countries have an empire?

Currently, no countries have empires in the traditional sense of the term. The age of colonialism and imperialism, characterized by the control and domination of one nation over another, is largely a relic of the past. However, there are a few instances of countries that still maintain some remnants or vestiges of their former empires.

1. United Kingdom: The United Kingdom, despite the dissolution of its vast British Empire in the 20th century, still retains a number of overseas territories and dependencies. These include Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and others. While these territories are self-governing to varying degrees, they remain under the sovereignty of the British Crown.

2. France: France also has overseas territories, known as "départements et régions d'outre-mer" (overseas departments and regions), which are considered integral parts of the French Republic. These include Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, and others. They have full representation in the French parliament and use the euro as their currency.

3. Netherlands: The Netherlands maintains three constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten. These countries have their own governments, parliaments, and domestic policies, but they remain part of the Dutch kingdom and share the Dutch head of state.

4. Denmark: Denmark has two autonomous territories: Greenland and the Faroe Islands. These territories have significant levels of self-government, their own languages and cultures, and representation in the Danish parliament. However, they are not independent states and remain under the sovereignty of the Danish crown.

5. United States: While the United States does not have colonies in the traditional sense, it does maintain a number of territories and possessions, such as Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These territories have varying degrees of political and economic integration with the United States and different levels of self-governance.