Dependent territories of the United Kingdom

Dependent territories of the United Kingdom is an archaic term, replaced in 2002, with "British overseas territories" and "British overseas territories citizenship" with effect from 26 February 2002. The United Kingdom has many overseas territories throughout the world. They are not part of the UK itself, nor are they sovereign states. Each has its own distinct legally defined relationship with the UK. All have the British monarch as head of state. These territories fall into several broad categories:

British Overseas Territories

Main article: British Overseas Territories

These territories form part of the sovereign territory of the United Kingdom as a result of constitutional and historical ties, as former parts of the British Empire. They have varying degrees of delegated internal self-governance. Great Britain counts a total 14 of these territories (including British Antarctic Territory that is not internationally recognized).

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• British Indian Ocean Territory
• Cayman Islands
• Falkland Islands
• Gibraltar
• Montserrat
• Pitcairn Islands
• Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
  • Saint Helena
  • Ascension Island
  • Tristan da Cunha
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
• Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• British Virgin Islands

Crown Dependencies

Main article: Crown Dependencies

The Crown Dependencies are self-governing possessions of the British Crown with their own legislative assemblies. They were not part of the British Empire, but have a much older relationship with the UK as former feudatory kingdoms subject to the English Crown.

• Bailiwick of Guernsey
• Bailiwick of Jersey
• Isle of Man

Antarctic

• British Antarctic Territory, claimed as a dependency by the UK, but internationally its legal status is governed by the Antarctic Treaty

See also

• Crown colony, an obsolete term for the Overseas Territories, and historically many others with a similar status
• Commonwealth of Nations

Sources

• Great Britain (2012). The Overseas Territories: Security, Success and Sustainability. Cm (Series) (Great Britain. Parliament). Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0-10-183742-2. Retrieved 2024-06-03.