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Newfoundland (island)

This article is about the island in the North Atlantic Ocean. For the Canadian province, see Newfoundland and Labrador. For other uses, see Newfoundland (disambiguation). Newfoundland Tricolour Flag
(unofficial) Geography Area: 111,390 km² (16th) Water area: 7,797 km² Coastline: 9,656 km Highest Point: The Cabox
814 m Longest River: Exploits River
246 km[1]Admin HQ: St. John's, NewfoundlandDemographics Population(2001): 485,066 Major Ethnic Groups : Irish, English, Some Scottishand FrenchLargest City: St. John's
100,646 (city)
181,113 (metro) (2006) Politics Government of Newfoundland & Labrador
http://www.gov.nl.caMembers of the House of Commons: 6 (of 7 in NL and 308 total) Members of the Canadian Senate: 6 (of 6 in NL and 105 total) Members of the House of Assembly: 44 (of 48 total)

Newfoundland — pronunciation (help·info) IPA: /ˈn(j)ufənˌlænd/ (French: Terre-Neuve, Irish: Talamh an Éisc) is a large island 15 km off the east coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The island of Newfoundland (originally called Terra Nova) was named by the Italian John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) on his expedition from Bristol, England in 1497. The province where this island is located was also called "Newfoundland" until 2001, when its name was changed to "Newfoundland and Labrador" (the postal abbreviation was later changed from NF to NL).

L'Anse aux Meadows was a Norse settlement on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland, that has been dated to be approximately 1000 years old, making it the only genuine evidence of Pre-Columbian contact between the Old and New Worlds. It is a likely location of Vinland, although this has been disputed.

Contents

The island of Newfoundland is separated from the Labrador Peninsula by the Strait of Belle Isle and from Cape Breton Island by the Cabot Strait. It blocks the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, creating the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest estuary. Newfoundland's nearest neighbour is the tiny French overseas community of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.

With an area of 108,860 square kilometers (41,700 sq mi)[2] Newfoundland is the world's 16th largest island, and Canada's fourth-largest island. Newfoundland and its associated small islands have a total area of 111,390 square kilometers (43,008 sq mi).[3] The provincial capital, St. John's, is located on the southeastern coast of the island. Cape Spear, just south of the capital, is North America's easternmost point. The island of Newfoundland has a population (2001) of 466,172. However, it is common to consider all directly neighbouring islands such as New World, Twillingate, Fogo and Bell Island to be 'part of Newfoundland' (as distinct from Labrador). By that measure, the population is (2001) 485,066

Newfoundland has a dialect of English known as Newfoundland English and a dialect of French known as Newfoundland French. It once had a dialect of Irish known as Newfoundland Irish, as well as an Amerindian language, Beothuk. Today it is said that 80% of inhabitants of Newfoundland have 1 or 2 parents of Irish descent.[citation needed]

First inhabitants

The first inhabitants of Newfoundland were the probable ancestors of the Beothuk inhabitants at the time of European contact. Beothuk means "people" in the Beothuk language. The origins of the Beothuks are uncertain, but it appears that they were a native group that came from Labrador. The culture is now extinct, remembered only in museum, historical and archaeological records. Shanawdithit, the last known Beothuk (a woman), died in St. John's in 1829 of Tuberculosis.

It is probable that the natives described by the Norsemen as skraelings were Beothuk people of Labrador and Newfoundland. The first conflicts between Europeans and native peoples may have occurred around 1006 at L'Anse aux Meadows when parties of Norsemen attempted to establish permanent settlements along the coast of Newfoundland. According to the Icelandic sagas, the native skraelings responded so ferociously that the newcomers eventually withdrew and apparently gave up their original intentions to settle.

When other Europeans arrived, beginning with John Cabot in 1497, contact with the Beothuks was established. Estimates of the number of Beothuks on the island at this time vary, ranging from 1,000 to 5,000.

As European settlement became year-round and expanded to new areas of the coast the area available to the Beothuks to harvest the marine resources they relied upon was diminished. By the beginning of the nineteenth century there were few Beothuks remaining, many having been killed by settlers or having died as a result of starvation and diseases brought on by the European settlers which their immune systems could not handle. Government attempts to open a dialogue with the native peoples of Newfoundland came too late to save them.

Some Newfoundland residents can trace a clear Native American ancestry, mostly Mi'kmaq.

European discovery, colonization, and settlement

Newfoundland is the site of the only authenticated Norse (mostly Greenlandic Icelanders) settlement in North America, discovered by Norwegian explorer Dr. Helge Ingstad and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, at L'Anse aux Meadows in 1960. The site of multi-year archaeological digs in the 1960s and 1970s, the settlement dating to more than 500 years before John Cabot, contains the earliest known European structures in North America. Named a World Heritage site by UNESCO, it is believed to be the Vinland settlement of explorer Leifr Eiriksson (the Icelandic Skálholt Vinland Map of 1570 refers to the area as "Promontorium Winlandia" and correctly shows it on a 51°N parallel with Bristol, England). The Norse stayed for a relatively short period of time, believed to be between 999 and 1001 AD.

Other speculative discoverers of the island would fall to other nationalities of Europe. The Irish Saint Brendan, who has been popularized in Newfoundland song 'Saint Brendan's Voyage’, is noted among possible discoverers of Newfoundland. Welsh folklore makes note of explorer and Prince Madoc who landed in America in 1170. No detail is given of his route or the lands that was attributed to his discovery. Then there is the Scottish who claim that the Earl of the Orkneys, Prince Henry Sinclair had discovered the New World in the late 1300s. The Portuguese also lay claim to discovering the New World in 1431 when Prince Henry the Navigator discovered the Azores, by virtue of the existence of the Paris Map c. 1490 which depicts a group of three islands southwest of Iceland at roughly the same latitude as Ireland, Newfoundland and possibly some other, nearby islands (such as Cape Breton). These three islands are known as 'Islands of the Seven Cities' and 'The Isle of Brasile' said to be discovered by seven bishops. Documents from the voyages made by Bristol merchants in 1480 speak of a trip in search of the Isle of Brasile, to no avail.

After the departure of the Norse, the island would be left to the aboriginal populations for nearly 500 years until the island was rediscovered by the Italian navigator John Cabot (Zuan/Giovanni Cabotto), in 1497. The exact place where John Cabot landed is unknown, but popularly believed to be Cape Bonavista, along the island's East coast,[4] although other sites along the East coast also have significant claims. Perhaps the site with the best claim is Cape Bauld, at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula. It is supported by a document found in the Spanish National Archives written by a Bristol merchant which reports that the crew landed 1,800 miles (2,900 km) west of Dursey Head, Ireland (latitude 51° 35'N) which would put Cabot within sight of Cape Bauld. Also in this document is mention of an island that Cabot sailed past to go ashore on the mainland. This description fits with Cape Bauld theory, Belle Isle being not far offshore.[4]

James Cook's 1775 Chart of Newfoundland

After Cabot, the first European visitors to Newfoundland were Portuguese, Spanish, French and English migratory fishermen. Late in the 17th century came Irish fishermen, who named the island Talamh an Éisc, meaning "land of the fish", or "the fishing grounds" in Irish Gaelic. This was to foreshadow the centuries of importance of Newfoundland's offshore fishing waters.

In 1583, when Sir Humphrey Gilbert formally claimed Newfoundland as a colony of England, he found numerous English, French and Portuguese vessels in St. John's. However there was no permanent population and Gilbert was lost at sea during his return voyage, thereby ending any plans of settlement.

On July 5, 1610, John Guy set sail from Bristol, England with 39 other colonists for Cuper's Cove. This, and other early attempts at permanent settlement failed to make a profit for the English investors, but some settlers remained anyway, forming the very earliest European population on the island. By 1620, the fishermen of England's West Country had excluded other nations from most of the east coast of Newfoundland, while fishermen from France dominated the island's south coast and Northern Peninsula.

After 1713, with the Treaty of Utrecht, the French ceded control of south and north shores of the island to the British, keeping only the nearby islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon located in the fish-rich Grand Banks off the south coast. Despite some early settlements by the English, permanent, year-round settlement of Newfoundland of migratory fishery workers was discouraged by the British. But with the geographic remoteness of its isolated harbours and convenience of year-round access to the fish stations without having to make the bi-annual voyage across the ocean, permanent settlement increased rapidly by the late 18th century, peaking in the early years of the 19th century.

The French name for the island is Terre Neuve, while the name "Newfoundland"' is one of the oldest European place names in Canada in continuous geographical and cartographical use, dating from a 1502 letter, and clearly stated in the following early poem:

A Skeltonicall continued ryme, in praise of my New-found-Land

Although in cloaths, company, buildings faire
With England, New-found-land cannot compare:
Did some know what contentment I found there,
Alwayes enough, most times somewhat to spare,
With little paines, lesse toyle, and lesser care,
Exempt from taxings, ill newes, Lawing, feare,
If cleane, and warme, no matter what you weare,
Healthy, and wealthy, if men carefull are,
With much-much more, then I will now declare,
(I say) if some wise men knew what this were
(I doe beleeue) they'd live no other where.
From 'The First Booke of Qvodlibets'
Composed and done at Harbor-Grace in
Britaniola, anciently called Newfound-Land
by Governor Robert Hayman - 1628.
A Newfoundland fishing outport

The European immigrants who settled in Newfoundland brought their knowledge, beliefs, loyalties and prejudices with them, but the society they built in the New World was unlike the ones they had left, and different from the ones other immigrants would build on the American mainland. As a fish-exporting society, Newfoundland was in contact with many places around the Atlantic rim, but its geographic location and political distinctiveness also isolated it from its closest neighbours in Canada and the United States, so much so that this isolation can be felt even today. Internally, most of its population was spread widely around a rugged coastline in small outport settlements, many of them a long distance from larger centers of population and isolated for long periods by winter ice or bad weather. These conditions had an effect on the culture the immigrants had brought with them and generated new ways of thinking and acting, giving Newfoundland and Labrador a wide variety of distinctive customs, beliefs, stories, songs, and dialects.

The First World War had a powerful and lasting effect on the society. From a population of about a quarter of a million, 5,482 men went overseas. Nearly 1,500 were killed and 2,300 wounded. On July 1, 1916, at Beaumont-Hamel, France, 753 men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment went over the top of a trench. The casualties were staggering; the next morning, only 68 men answered the roll-call. Newfoundland had lost about one-quarter of its young men in WWI and it has been suggested that this loss of so many men, proportionally speaking, in the prime of their lives contributed to the economic collapse that was to ultimately influence confederation with Canada. Even now, when the rest of Canada celebrates the founding of the country on July 1, many Newfoundlanders take part in solemn ceremonies of remembrance.

World War II also had a lasting impact on Newfoundland. In particular, the war ushered in an American presence at the military bases at Argentia, Gander, Stephenville, Goose Bay and St. John's. Interaction with the bases helped make cash a more widespread economic medium and consolidated a traditional admiration for the United States[citation needed].

Joseph Smallwood signing the document bringing Newfoundland into Confederation.

Newfoundland and Labrador is the youngest province in Canada, which existed as a British colony until 1949, self-governing from 1855-1934, holding Dominion status from 1907-1949 (see Dominion of Newfoundland). In late 1948, the population voted 52.3% to 47.7%[5] in favour of joining Canada, with opposition to Canada being concentrated in the capital, St. John's, and on the Avalon Peninsula. Newfoundland joined Canada on March 31, 1949. Union with Canada has done little to reduce Newfoundlanders' self-image as a unique group, with 72% identifying themselves as being primarily Newfoundlanders, secondarily Canadians, in 2003.[6] Separatist sentiment is low, though—12% in the same 2003 study.

The referendum campaign was bitterly fought and interests in both Canada and Britain favoured and supported confederation with Canada. This is exemplified in the role of Jack Pickersgill, a western Canadian native and politician, who worked with the confederation camp during the campaign. Religion played a significant role in the final analysis as well with the Catholic church lobbying for continued independence. Financial incentives played their part, particularly the "baby bonus" which promised Newfoundlanders a cash sum for each child in a family. The Confederates were led by the charismatic Joseph Smallwood, a former radio broadcaster who had developed socialist political inclinations while working for a socialist newspaper in New York. His policies as premier would assume a form closer to liberalism than socialism. Mr. Smallwood led Newfoundland for decades as the elected premier following confederation and achieved a "cult of personality" amongst his many supporters that persisted long after his political defeat. Indeed, some homes actually had pictures of Joey in their living rooms in a place of prominence. It has been suggested that some members of the public regarded financial incentives like the baby bonus as the direct products of Smallwood's benevolence rather than their right as Canadian citizens.

The province's provincial flag, designed by Newfoundland artist Christopher Pratt, was officially adopted by the provincial legislature on May 28, 1980. Labrador has its own unofficial flag, created in 1973 by Mike Martin, former Member of the Legislative Assembly for Labrador South. There is also an unofficial "Pink, White and Green" flag of nineteenth century origins. The flag was flown on sealing vessels well into the 20th century. Its colours represent the symbolic union of Newfoundland's three historically dominant ethnic/religious group: English, Scottish and Irish respectively. Sealers also used the flag as a marker to distinguish cached seal pellets on the ice from the caches of other nations. It is now flown outside many Newfoundland homes, although it is mistaken by many tourists as the Irish flag. This "unofficial" flag has seen a rise in popularity in recent years, before which it had been relatively forgotten by a majority of Newfoundlanders. "Pink White and Green" emblems now appear on a multitude of items in Newfoundland gift shops, and it has developed into a symbolic gesture of one's ties with one's Newfoundland heritage as well as a trendy fashion statement.

Pre-Confederation and current Provincial Anthem

The pre-Confederation and current Provincial Anthem is the Ode to Newfoundland. Written in the late 19th century, it continues to be heard at public events in Newfoundland.


When sun rays crown thy pine clad hills,
And summer spreads her hand,
When silvern voices tune thy rills,
We love thee, smiling land,
We love thee, we love thee
We love thee, smiling land.

When spreads thy cloak of shimm'ring white,
At winter's stern command,
Thro' shortened day and starlit night,
We love thee, frozen land,
We love thee, we love thee,
We love thee, frozen land.

When blinding storm gusts fret thy shore,
And wild waves lash thy strand,
Thro' sprindrift swirl and tempest roar,
We love thee, windswept land,
We love thee, we love thee,
We love thee, windswept land.

As loved our fathers, so we love,
Where once they stood we stand,
Their prayer we raise to heav'n above,
God guard thee, Newfoundland,
God guard thee, God guard thee,
God guard thee, Newfoundland.

Points of interest and major settlements

Cod, the traditional mainstay of Newfoundland fisheries

Being one of the first places in the New World to which Europeans travelled, Newfoundland has a rich history. St. John's is considered to be the oldest city in English speaking North America.

Newfoundland is home to two national parks. Gros Morne National Park is located on the west coast of Newfoundland and was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 due to its complex geology and remarkable scenery. It is the largest national park in Atlantic Canada at 1 805 km² (697 sq. mi.). Terra Nova National Park, on the island's east side, preserves the rugged geography of the Bonavista Bay region and allows visitors to explore the historic interplay of land, sea and man.

Newfoundland also contains a major hiking trail that runs along the eastern edge of the Avalon Peninsula. The East Coast Trail extends for 220 km, beginning near Fort Amherst in St. John's and ending in Cappahayden, with an additional 320 km of trail under construction. The trail winds along the coast, bringing hikers through many small fishing villages and along long stretches of rocky, uninhabited coastline.

Stephenville, a town of about 8000, once served as an airbase for the US Army and Air Force in the early 1940s to 1966. It is about 32 km (20 miles) north of its former train station, which is surrounded by the town of Stephenville Crossing.

Also on the West Coast, Corner Brook is situated in the Bay of Islands region. The major industry in Corner Brook is newsprint manufacturing, and is serviced by the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Mill.

Sandy Point, which is located in St. George's Bay and north of the town of St. George's, was the first and largest settlement of the west coast. However, the last settler, Alphonsus Swyers, was forced to abandon it in 1973.

Island of Newfoundland

Barachois Pond Provincial Park is a provincial park that is considered to be a model forest.

Marble Mountain is a major attraction in the winter for skiers. It is said to be the best skiing east of the Rocky Mountains.

Tilting Harbour on Fogo Island is a Provincial Heritage District as well as a National Cultural Landscape District of Canada, one of only two national historic sites in Canada so recognized for their Irishness.

In March, the annual seal hunt (of the harp seal) takes place.

Newfoundland is also host to a well-recognized university, Memorial University of Newfoundland, based in St. John's.

George Street, located in downtown St. John's, is closed to traffic twenty hours a day, and is widely understood to have the most pubs per square foot of any street in North America.

Largest Municipalities (2006 population)

  1. St. John's (100,646)
  2. Mount Pearl (24,671)
  3. Conception Bay South (21,966)
  4. Corner Brook (20,083)
  5. Grand Falls-Windsor (13,558)
  6. Paradise (12,584)
  7. Gander (9,951)
  8. Stephenville (6,588)
  9. Portugal Cove-St. Philip's (5,575)
  10. Torbay (6,281)
  11. Marystown (5,436)
  12. Bay Roberts (5,414)
  13. Clarenville (5,274)
  14. Deer Lake (4,827)
  15. Carbonear (4,723)
  16. Channel-Port aux Basques (4,319)
  17. Placentia (3,898)
  18. Bonavista (3,764)
  19. Bishop's Falls (3,399)
  20. Lewisporte (3,308)

Fauna and Flora

Main article: Geography of Newfoundland and Labrador#Biosphere
See also: List of mammals of Newfoundland

Notable Newfoundlanders

Main article: :Category:People from Newfoundland
See also: List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador
See also: Category:Pre-Confederation Newfoundland and Labrador people

Further reading

Modern literature

Vintage literature

  • D. W. Prowse, A History of Newfoundland (1895), current edition 2002, Boulder Publications, Portugal Cove, Newfoundland.
  • Charles Pedley, History of Newfoundland, (London, 1863)
  • Philip Tocque, Newfoundland as it Was and Is, (London, 1878)
  • Joseph Hatton and Moses Harvey, Newfoundland: Its History and Present Condition, (London, 1883)
  • Arnold Kennedy, Sport and Adventure in Newfoundland and West Indies, (London, 1885)
  • Moses Harvey, Newfoundland, England's Oldest Colony, (London, 1897)
  • F. E. Smith, The Story of Newfoundland, (London, 1901)
  • Beckles Wilson, The Truth About Newfoundland, The Tenth Island, (second edition, London, 1901)
  • J. P. Howley, Mineral Resources of Newfoundland, (St. John's, 1909)
  • P. T. McGrath, Newfound in 1911, (London, 1911)

References

  1. ^ Atlas of Canada - Rivers. Natural Resources Canada (2004-10-26). Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
  2. ^ Atlas of Canada, Islands. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  3. ^ NL Government website: Areas. Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
  4. ^ a b Kevin Major (August 2002). As Near to Heaven by Sea: A History of Newfoundland and Labrador. Penguin Books. ISBN 0140278648. 
  5. ^ Baker, Melvin (1987). "The Tenth Province: Newfoundland joins Canada, 1949". Horizon 10 (11): 2641-67. 
  6. ^ Ryan Research and Communications (April 2003). Provincial Opinion Survey. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada. Retrieved on 2007-04-25.

See also

Look up Newfoundland (island) in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Newfoundland v • d • eSubdivisions of Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland · Labrador · NunatsiavutCensus divisions1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11CitiesCorner Brook · Mount Pearl · St. John'sOther communitiesBishop's Falls · Bonavista · Botwood · Carbonear · Channel-Port aux Basques · Clarenville · Conception Bay South · Deer Lake · Ferryland · Fogo · Gander · Grand Falls-Windsor · Happy Valley-Goose Bay · Harbour Grace · Labrador City · Marystown · Nain · Norris Arm · Pasadena · Peterview · Placentia · Red Bay · St. Anthony · Stephenville · Twillingate · Woody Point
v • d • eBritish Empireand Commonwealth of Nations

Legend
Current territory  ·   Former territory
* now a Commonwealth Realm  ·   now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations

Europe 

18th century
1708-1757  Minorca
since 1713  Gibraltar
1782-1802  Minorca

19th century
1800-1964  Malta
1807-1890  Heligoland
1809-1864  Ionian Islands
1878-1960  Cyprus

20th century
since 1960  Akrotiri and Dhekelia

North America 

16th century
1583-1907  Newfoundland

17th century
1607-1776  Thirteen Colonies
since 1619  Bermuda
1670-1870  Rupert's Land

18th century
Canada (British Imperial)
   1763-1791  Quebec
   1791-1841  Lower Canada
   1791-1841  Upper Canada

19th century
Canada (British Imperial)
   1841-1867  Province of Canada
   1849-1866  Vancouver Island
   1858-1871  British Columbia
   1859-1870  North-Western Territory
   1862-1863  Stikine Territory
*Canada (post-Confederation)
   1867-1931  Dominion of Canada1

20th century
*Canada (post-Confederation)
   1907-1934  Dominion of Newfoundland2

1 In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. 'Dominion' remains Canada's legal title; see Canada's name.
2 Remained a de jure dominion until 1949 (when it became a Canadian province); from 1934 to 1949, Newfoundland was governed by the Commission of Government.

Latin America and the Caribbean 

17th century
1605-1979  *Saint Lucia
1623-1883  Saint Kitts (*Saint Kitts & Nevis)
1624-1966  *Barbados
1625-1650  Saint Croix
1627-1979  *St. Vincent and the Grenadines
1628-1883  Nevis (*Saint Kitts & Nevis)
1629-1641  St. Andrew and Providence Islands3
since 1632  Montserrat
1632-1860  Antigua(*Antigua & Barbuda)
1643-1860  Bay Islands
since 1650  Anguilla
1651-1667  Willoughbyland (Suriname)
1655-1850  Mosquito Coast (protectorate)
1655-1962  *Jamaica
since 1666  British Virgin Islands
since 1670  Cayman Islands
1670-1973  *Bahamas
1670-1688  St. Andrew and Providence Islands3
1671-1816  Leeward Islands

18th century
1762-1974  *Grenada
1763-1978  Dominica
since 1799  Turks and Caicos Islands

19th century
1831-1966  British Guiana (Guyana)
1833-1960  Windward Islands
1833-1960  Leeward Islands
1860-1981  *Antigua and Barbuda
1871-1964  British Honduras (*Belize)
1882-1983  *St. Kitts and Nevis
1889-1962  Trinidad and Tobago

20th century
1958-1962  West Indies Federation

3 Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia.

Africa 

18th century
1792-1961  Sierra Leone
1795-1803  Cape Colony

19th century
1806-1910  Cape Colony
1816-1965  Gambia
1856-1910  Natal
1868-1966  Basutoland (Lesotho)
1874-1957  Gold Coast (Ghana)
1882-1922  Egypt
1884-1966  Bechuanaland (Botswana)
1884-1960  British Somaliland
1887-1897  Zululand
1888-1894  Matabeleland
1890-1980  Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)
1890-1962  Uganda
1890-1963  Zanzibar (Tanzania)
1891-1964  Nyasaland (Malawi)
1891-1907  British Central Africa
1893-1968  Swaziland
1895-1920  British East Africa
1899-1956  Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

20th century
1900-1914  Northern Nigeria
1900-1914  Southern Nigeria
1900-1910  Orange River Colony
1900-1910  Transvaal Colony
1906-1954  Nigeria Colony
1910-1931  South Africa
1911-1964  Northern Rhodesia (Zambia)
1914-1954  Nigeria Protectorate
1915-1931  South West Africa (Namibia)
1919-1960  Cameroons (Cameroon) 4
1920-1963  Kenya
1922-1961  Tanganyika (Tanzania) 4
1954-1960  Nigeria

4 League of Nations mandate.

Asia 

18th century
1757-1947  Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh)
1762-1764  Philippines
1795-1948  Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
1796-1965  Maldives

19th century
1819-1826  British Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore)
1826-1946  Straits Settlements
1839-1967  Colony of Aden
1841-1997  Hong Kong
1841-1941  Kingdom of Sarawak (Malaysia)
1858-1947  British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma)
1882-1963  British North Borneo (Malaysia)
1885-1946  Unfederated Malay States
1891-1971  Muscat and Oman protectorate
1892-1971  Trucial States protectorate
1895-1946  Federated Malay States
1898-1930  Weihai Garrison

20th century
1918-1961  Kuwait protectorate
1920-1932  Iraq4
1921-1946  Transjordan4
1923-1948  Palestine4
1946-1948  Malayan Union
1946-1963  Sarawak (Malaysia)
1948-1957  Federation of Malaya (Malaysia) since 1965  British Indian Ocean Territory

4 League of Nations mandate.

Oceania 

18th century
1788-1901  New South Wales

19th century
1803-1901  Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania
1807-1863  Auckland Islands6
1824-1980  New Hebrides (Vanuatu)
1824-1901  Queensland
1829-1901  Swan River Colony/Western Australia
1836-1901  South Australia
since 1838  Pitcairn Islands
1840-1907  *Colony of New Zealand
1850-1901  Victoria (Australia)
1874-1970  Fiji5
1877-1976  British Western Pacific Territories
1884-1949  Territory of Papua
1888-1965  Cook Islands6
1888-1984  Sultanate of Brunei
1889-1948  Union Islands (Tokelau)6
1892-1979  Gilbert and Ellice Islands7
1893-1978  British Solomon Islands8

20th century
1900-1970  Tonga (protected state)
1900-1974  Niue6
1901-1942  *Commonwealth of Australia
1907-1953  *Dominion of New Zealand
1919-1949  Territory of New Guinea
1949-1975  Territory of Papua and New Guinea9

5 Suspended member.
6 Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand.
7 Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu.
8 Now the *Solomon Islands.
9 Now *Papua New Guinea.

Antarctica and South Atlantic 

17th century
since 1659  St. Helena (On African Continent)

19th century
since 1815  Ascension Island9
(On African Continent)

since 1816  Tristan da Cunha9
(On African Continent)

since 1833  Falkland Islands11
(South America)

20th century
since 1908  British Antarctic Territory10
since 1908  South Georgia and
                    the South Sandwich Islands10, 11

9 Dependencies of St. Helena since 1922 (Ascension Island) and 1938 (Tristan da Cunha).
10 Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands).
11 Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April-June 1982.

v • d • eFrench overseas empireFormer v • d • eFormer French coloniesin Africaand the Indian OceanMahgrebAlgeria · Morocco (Arguin Island) · TunisiaFrench West AfricaCôte d'Ivoire · Dahomey · French Sudan · Guinea · Mauritania · Niger · Senegal · Upper Volta  French Togoland · James IslandFrench Equatorial AfricaChad · Gabon · Middle Congo · Oubangui-ChariComorosAnjouan · Grande Comore · Mohéli  French Somaliland (Djibouti) · Madagascar · Ile de France · Seychelles
v • d • eFormer French coloniesin the AmericasNew France  (Acadia • Louisiana • Canada • Terre Neuve) 1655 – 1763 Inini · Berbice · Saint-Domingue (Haiti) · Tobago · Virgin Islands · France Antarctique · France ÉquinoxialeFrench West India Company v • d • eFormer French coloniesin Asiaand OceaniaFrench IndiaChandernagor · Coromandel Coast · Madras · Malabar · Mahé · Pondichéry · Karaikal · YanaonFrench IndochinaCambodia · Laos · Vietnam (Annam • Cochinchina • Tonkin) Other Asian Alaouites · Alexandretta-Hatay · Ceylon · KwangchowanOceaniaNew Hebrides(Vanuatu)French East India Company Present v • d • eOverseas departments and territories ofFranceOverseas departments1 French Guiana · Guadeloupe · Martinique · RéunionOverseas collectivitiesFrench Polynesia · Mayotte2 · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · Wallis and FutunaSpecial status New CaledoniaUninhabited lands Clipperton IslandFrench Southern and
Antarctic LandsÎle Amsterdam · Île Saint-Paul · Crozet Islands · Kerguelen Islands · Adélie LandScattered islands in
the Indian OceanBassas da India3 · Europa Island3 · Glorioso Islands2, 3, 4 · Juan de Nova Island3 · Tromelin Island5 1 Also known as overseas regions.  2 Claimed by Comoros.  3 Claimed by Madagascar.  4 Claimed by Seychelles.  5 Claimed by Mauritius. v • d • ePortuguese EmpireNorth Africa 

15th century
1415–1640  Ceuta
1458–1550  Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir)
1471–1550  Arzila (Asilah)
1471–1662  Tangier
1485–1550  Mazagan (El Jadida)
1487- middle 16th century  Ouadane
1488–1541  Safim (Safi)

16th century
1505–1769  Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir)
1506–1525  Mogador (Essaouira)
1506–1525  Aguz (Souira Guedima)
1506–1769  Mazagan (El Jadida)
1513–1541  Azamor (Azemmour)
1577–1589  Arzila (Asilah)

Sub-Saharan Africa 

15th century
1455–1633  Arguin
1470–1975  São Tomé1
1474–1778  Annobón
1478–1778  Fernando Poo (Bioko)
1482–1637  Elmina (São Jorge da Mina)
1482–1642  Portuguese Gold Coast
1496–1550  Madagascar (part)
1498–1540  Mascarene Islands

16th century
1500–1630  Malindi
1500–1975  Príncipe1
1501–1975  Portuguese E. Africa (Mozambique)
1502–1659  St. Helena
1503–1698  Zanzibar
1505–1512  Quíloa (Kilwa)
1506–1511  Socotra
1557–1578  Accra
1575–1975  Portuguese W. Africa (Angola)
1588–1974  Cacheu2
1593–1698  Mombassa (Mombasa)

17th century
1642–1975  Cape Verde
1645–1888  Ziguinchor
1680–1961  São João Baptista de Ajudá
1687–1974  Bissau2

18th century
1728–1729  Mombassa (Mombasa)
1753–1975  São Tomé and Príncipe

19th century
1879–1974  Portuguese Guinea
1885–1975  Portuguese Congo (Cabinda)

1 Part of São Tomé and Príncipefrom 1753.   2 Part of Portuguese Guineafrom 1879.
Southwest Asia 

16th century
1506–1615  Gamru (Bandar Abbas)
1507-1643  Sohar
1515–1622  Hormuz (Ormus)
1515-1648  Quriyat
1515-?   Qalhat
1515–1650  Muscat
1515?-?   Barka
1515-1633? Julfar (Ras al-Khaimah)
1521–1602  Bahrain (Al Muharraq and Manama)
1521-1529?  Qatif
1521?-1551? Tarut Island
1550-1551  Qatif
1588-1648  Matrah

17th century
1620-?   Khor Fakkan
1621?-?   As Sib
1621-1622  Qeshm
1623-?   Khasab
1623-?   Libedia
1624-?   Kalba
1624-?   Madha
1624-1648  Diba al-Hisn
1624?-?   Bandar-e Kong

Indian subcontinent 

15th century
1498–1545  Laccadive Islands (Lakshadweep)

16th century
Portuguese India
   1500–1663  Cochim (Kochi)
   1502–1661  Quilon (Coulão/Kollam)
   1502–1663  Cannanore (Kannur)
   1507–1657  Negapatam (Nagapattinam)
   1510–1962  Goa
   1512–1525  Calicut (Kozhikode)
   1518–1619  Paliacate (Pulicat)
   1521–1740  Chaul
   1523–1662  São Tomé de Meliapore
   1528–1666  Chittagong
   1534–1601  Salsette Island
   1534–1661  Bombay (Mumbai)
   1535–1739  Baçaím (Vasai-Virar)
   1536–1662  Cranganore (Kodungallur)
   1540–1612  Surat
   1548–1658  Tuticorin (Thoothukudi)
   1559–1962  Daman and Diu
   1568–1659  Mangalore
   1579–1632  Hughli
   1598–1610  Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam)
1518–1521  Maldives
1518–1658  Portuguese Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
1558–1573  Maldives

17th century
Portuguese India
   1687–1749  São Tomé de Meliapore

18th century
Portuguese India
   1779–1954  Dadra and Nagar Haveli

East Asia and Oceania 

16th century
1511–1641  Portuguese Malacca
1512–1621  Banda Islands
1512–1621  Moluccas (Maluku Islands)
   1522–1575  Ternate
   1576–1605  Ambon
   1578–1650  Tidore
1512–1665  Makassar
1553–1999  Macau
1533-1545  Ning-po
1571–1639  Decima (Dejima, Nagasaki)

17th century
1642–1975  Portuguese Timor (East Timor)1


19th century
Macau
   1864–1999  Coloane
   1851–1999  Taipa
   1890–1999  Ilha Verde

20th century
Macau
   1938–1941  Lapa and Montanha (Hengqin)

1 1975 is the date of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, the independence of East Timor was recognized by Portugal and the rest of the world.

North America and the North Atlantic Ocean 

15th century
1420           Madeira
1432           Azores

16th century
1500–1579?  Terra Nova (Newfoundland)
1500-1579?  Labrador
1516–1579?  Nova Scotia

Central and South America 

16th century
1500–1822  Brazil
1536–1620  Barbados

17th century
1680–1777  Nova Colônia do Sacramento


19th century
1808–1822  Cisplatina (Uruguay)

Portuguese colonization of the Americas

Coordinates: 49°00′N, 56°00′W

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