While proponents say it brought various economic developments to the parts of the world it controlled, critics note the massacres, famines and the use of concentration camps by the British Empire, The Independent writes. For good or ill, it brought new language, sport and religion to different parts of the globe. The map below shows the British Empire at its territorial peak in the early 20th century. It also oversaw around 412 million inhabitants, or around 23% of the world’s population at the time, writes the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

It covered around 25% of the world's land surface, including large swathes of North America, Australia, Africa and Asia, while other areas - especially in South America - were closely linked to the empire by trade, according to the National Archives.Īs a result of its size, it became known as “the empire on which the sun never sets”.

How big was the Empire?įrom India, further expansion was undertaken through Asia, and by 1913 the British Empire was the largest to have ever existed. In the face of increased competition from the French East India Company, the organisation expanded its territorial claims in India with the use of a private army of more than 260,000 men, until the Indian Rebellion of 1857 saw the British Crown assume direct control of the Indian subcontinent - the epicentre of the Empire. The British began to establish overseas colonies in the Americas in the 16th century, writes the BBC, but it wasn't until the 18th century that its expansion really accelerated.īritish expansion, particularly in Asia, was facilitated by the construction of trading posts set up by the East India Company, a London based trade business. His comments came as Labour pledged to include the injustices of the British Empire in the national curriculum if the party wins the general election. He accused the empire of committing “rape” against his homeland and inflicting “trauma” on the children of Africa. “The gesture is deeply appreciated, the wording is not,” said the 28-year-old, who was born in London but is of Ugandan heritage. Award-winning spoken word artist George the Poet has revealed that he turned down an MBE because of the “pure evil” of the British Empire.

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