Changes in British sovereignty explained
A list of former and present British colonies, dependencies and dates when they severed legal ties with Britain:
Losses
Losses in sovereignty or other jurisdiction
- The Thirteen Colonies declared independence from Great Britain on 4 July 1776.
- (1922) – see Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence.
Australia,
Canada, the,
New Zealand,, and (1926) – Dominions at the time of the Balfour Declaration of 1926.
- Weihai (1930) – fully restored to Republic of China sovereignty on 1 October.
Australia,
Canada, the,
New Zealand,, and (1931) – Recognized Dominions as "autonomous communities within the British Empire" as per the Statute of Westminster.[1] [2] The Statue also affirmed the British Parliament wouldn't legislate for the Dominions unless explicitly requested.
- (1947) – partitioned on 15 August into the independent dominions of India and Pakistan.
- and (1948) – independence to Burma as a republic granted on 4 January; to Ceylon on 4 February.
- (1949) – incorporated into Canada as a province on 31 March.
Sudan (1956) – independence granted on 1 January (was a condominium with
Egypt)
Ghana (as ) (1957) – independence granted on 6 March.
- States of and (1957) – joined on 31 August.
- (1960) – became part of a unified
Somalia on 1 July.
Cyprus and the (1960) – independence granted to Cyprus as a republic on 16 August (but retaining the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia); to Nigeria on 1 October.
Sierra Leone and (1961) – independence granted to Sierra Leone on 27 April; to Tanganyika on 9 December.
- British Cameroon (1961) – southern part incorporated into
Cameroon on 1 October and northern part incorporated into
Nigeria on 31 may.
Jamaica,
Trinidad and Tobago and
Uganda (1962) – independence granted to Jamaica on 6 August; to Trinidad and Tobago on 31 August; and to Uganda on 9 October.
- States of (as ),, and
Singapore (1963) – states formed
Malaysia with the Federation of Malaya on 16 September
Nigeria and
Kenya independence granted to Nigeria as federal republic on 1 October; Kenya on 12 December.
Malawi (as ), Malta, and Zambia (1964) – independence granted to Malawi on 6 July; Malta on 21 September; Zambia as a republic on 24 October.
- (1965) – independence granted on 18 February.
Guyana (as ),
Botswana (as ),
Lesotho (as Basutoland), and
Barbados (1966) – independence granted to Guyana on 26 May; Botswana on 30 September; Lesotho on 4 October; Barbados on 30 November.
- State of (1967) – joined on 30 November.
Mauritius and
Swaziland (1968) – independence granted to Mauritius on 12 March; to Swaziland on 6 September.
Fiji (1970) – independence granted on 10 October.
- (1973) – independence granted on 10 July.
Seychelles,
Solomon Islands,
Tuvalu, and
Dominica (1978) – independence granted to Seychelles on 29 June; to Solomon Islands on 7 July; to Tuvalu on 1 October; to Dominica as a republic on 3 November.
Saint Lucia,
Kiribati, and
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1979) – independence granted to Saint Lucia on 22 February; to Kiribati on 12 July; to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 27 October.
Zimbabwe (as ) and
Vanuatu (as ) (1980) – independence to Zimbabwe as a republic granted on 17 April; to Vanuatu on 1 July.
Belize (as ) and
Antigua and Barbuda (1981) – independence granted to Belize on 21 September; to Antigua and Barbuda on 1 November.
Canada (1982) – enactment of the Canada Act, 1982, ends the last remaining reliances of the Canadian Crown on the British Parliament for constitutional amendments.
Saint Kitts and Nevis (1983) – independence granted on 19 September. Anguilla remains a British overseas territory.
- ,,,,, and (1986) - enactment of the Australia Act 1986 brought the Australian states into conformity with the status of the Commonwealth of Australia as a sovereign nation.
Hong Kong (1997) – returned to the People's Republic of China as a Special Administrative Region on 1 July as per the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Termination of personal union or other connection with the United Kingdom's monarchy
Gains
Notes and References
- Web site: Statute of Westminster United Kingdom [1931] Britannica ]. 2022-04-04 . www.britannica.com . en.
- Web site: Statute of Westminster, 1931. . legislation.gov.uk. 6 September 2023.