1. british empire

LEARNING INTENTIONS

• Explain what the British Empire was

An empire is when one country controls lots of other ones. It was often said that at the height of the British

Empire, the sun never set on it.

Britain controlled countries right across the world.

The more land a country controlled, the richer and

more powerful it was.

Having an empire helped military strength too.

In the centuries after Columbus travelled to the

new world, European countries started taking control of places around

the world.

Spain and Portugal quickly became the

biggest empires.

Other countries soon tried to copy them.

In the 17th and 18th centuries England

(eventually Britain) did so too.

As an island, Britain had an advantage in having a great navy, which could

help achieve this.

The exact size of the Empire changed over the

years.

It has included countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,

India and Pakistan.

Britain became rich through this, including

involvement in the Slave Trade.

British Empire in 2013

The British Empire was truly huge at its height.

In 1922 around 458 million people lived

within it (about 1/5 of all people in the entire world).

Britain is now part of a group of countries called

the Commonwealth.

British Empire in 1815

(all coloured areas)

British Empire in 1920

(all coloured areas)