The United Kingdom currently administers fourteen territories that were once called colonies. Since the British Overseas Territories Act 2002, their official name has been British Overseas Territories, and the word “colony” no longer appears in UK law. The United Nations takes a different view: ten of the fourteen still sit on its list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, so whether the current British colonies exist at all depends on which authority you’re reading. What is not in dispute is that the UK retains sovereignty over all fourteen, controls their defense and foreign affairs, and appoints a governor or commissioner in each one.
The 2002 Name Change
Before 2002, these places were formally known as British Dependent Territories under the British Nationality Act 1981.1GOV.UK. British Overseas Territories By the late 1990s, several had their own elected legislatures, courts, and tax policies, and “dependent” struck many as outdated.
The British Overseas Territories Act 2002 dropped “Dependent” and replaced it with “Overseas,” and required every existing reference to “British Dependent Territory” across UK law to be read the new way.2Legislation.gov.uk. British Overseas Territories Act 2002 The same Act granted full British citizenship to territory residents, with one exception covered below. The UK government had already been using the new language informally since 1999, but the Act made it binding.1GOV.UK. British Overseas Territories
Why the UN Still Uses the Word “Colony”
Under Chapter XI of the UN Charter, territories “whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government” are classified as Non-Self-Governing Territories. Ten British Overseas Territories are on that list: Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.3United Nations. Non-Self-Governing Territories
The UK government disputes the classification for most of them, arguing that residents have chosen to keep the constitutional link with Britain. The four territories not on the UN list are the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, none of which have permanent civilian populations that would make self-governance a meaningful question.
The Fourteen Territories
The fourteen are formally listed in Schedule 6 of the British Nationality Act 1981, as amended.4Legislation.gov.uk. British Nationality Act 1981 – Schedule 6 Their combined population is above 270,000, though four have no permanent British population at all.5UK Parliament. UK Overseas Territories
Caribbean and North Atlantic
Six territories sit in or near the Caribbean: Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. These are the most populated and economically developed. Bermuda and the Cayman Islands are major international financial centres. Montserrat remains partially evacuated after the Soufrière Hills volcanic eruptions that began in 1995. The Turks and Caicos Islands had their constitution partially suspended by the UK in 2009 after a commission of inquiry found serious government corruption; self-governance was restored in 2012.6Legislation.gov.uk. Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution (Interim Amendment) Order 2009
Europe and the Mediterranean
Gibraltar occupies a narrow peninsula at the southern tip of Spain and has been British since the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia are military installations on Cyprus, retained when Cyprus became independent in 1960. Unlike every other territory, they exist primarily for defense and are administered by a military commander rather than a civilian governor.
South Atlantic and Antarctica
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha form a single territory across three remote island groups. The Falkland Islands support a self-sustaining economy built on fishing and agriculture. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands have no permanent residents and serve as environmental research stations. The British Antarctic Territory covers a wedge of Antarctica reserved for scientific research under the Antarctic Treaty System.
Indian and Pacific Oceans
The British Indian Ocean Territory consists of the Chagos Archipelago, home to the joint UK-US military facility on Diego Garcia. Its future is uncertain because of a sovereignty agreement with Mauritius, discussed below. The Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific are the most isolated inhabited spot in the British system. Pitcairn is a single volcanic island with roughly fifty residents, most of them descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers.7Government of the Pitcairn Islands. About The Pitcairn Islands
What the Crown Dependencies Are Not
People searching for British colonies often include the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. These three jurisdictions, known as Crown Dependencies, are constitutionally distinct from the Overseas Territories. They are not part of the UK, not represented in Parliament, and not governed by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002. They have their own legislatures, courts, and tax systems, and they do not receive UK subsidies. Crown Dependencies have never been colonies. Their link to the British Crown predates the British Empire, in some cases going back to the medieval period.
How the Territories Are Governed
Each territory has its own written constitution, and no two are identical. The broad pattern is the same: the British monarch is head of state, a governor or commissioner is appointed by the UK government to represent the Crown locally, and an elected legislature handles most domestic policy.8House of Commons Library. The UK Overseas Territories and Their Governors
The governor typically retains direct control over external affairs, defense, and internal security, including the police and judiciary.8House of Commons Library. The UK Overseas Territories and Their Governors Day-to-day governance falls to the elected local government, which sets taxes, runs schools and hospitals, and manages infrastructure. The UK Parliament retains the legal power to legislate for any territory, though exercising that power is controversial and rare. When the UK suspended parts of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ constitution in 2009, it provoked significant debate about the limits of British intervention.6Legislation.gov.uk. Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution (Interim Amendment) Order 2009
Citizenship After 2002
Before 2002, residents held a second-class form of British nationality called British Dependent Territories citizenship. It came with a passport but no automatic right to live or work in the UK. The 2002 Act changed that. Anyone who was a British Overseas Territories citizen when the Act took effect automatically became a full British citizen with the right of abode in the United Kingdom.9Legislation.gov.uk. British Overseas Territories Act 2002 – Explanatory Notes
The single exception is residents of the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Because the Base Areas exist for military purposes and their civilian population consists mainly of Cypriot nationals, the Act excluded them from the automatic citizenship grant.2Legislation.gov.uk. British Overseas Territories Act 2002
The distinction between British citizenship and British Overseas Territories citizenship still matters for people who acquire BOTC status after the Act’s commencement or through a different route. Someone who holds only BOTC status remains subject to UK immigration controls and does not have an automatic right to live or work in Britain.10GOV.UK. British Overseas Territories Citizen They can apply to register as a full British citizen if they meet certain conditions.
Live Sovereignty Disputes
Three territories are the subject of active disputes, each at a different stage.
Chagos Archipelago and Mauritius
The British Indian Ocean Territory has been contested by Mauritius since the 1960s, when Britain separated the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius before granting Mauritian independence. In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion stating that the separation was unlawful. On 22 May 2025, the UK and Mauritius signed a treaty transferring sovereignty over the archipelago to Mauritius while allowing the UK-US base on Diego Garcia to continue operating. As of mid-2025, the UK completed the parliamentary scrutiny period and gained the ability to ratify the treaty, though ratification had not yet taken place because the government’s practice is to wait until domestic implementing legislation is ready.11UK Parliament. 2025 Treaty on the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago If ratified, the number of British Overseas Territories would drop to thirteen.
The Falkland Islands and Argentina
Argentina has claimed the Falklands since the 19th century and fought a war over them in 1982. The dispute is unresolved. In a 2013 referendum, Falkland Islanders voted almost unanimously to remain a British Overseas Territory. The UK government’s position is that sovereignty rests with the United Kingdom and that the islanders’ right to self-determination is paramount. Argentina’s position, restated by President Javier Milei in April 2026, is that sovereignty is “non-negotiable.”
Gibraltar and Spain
Spain has claimed Gibraltar since Britain acquired it under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, and the UN lists it among its non-self-governing territories. In June 2025, the UK and Spain reached a political agreement on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relationship with the European Union. The formal treaty text, published in February 2026, provides for the removal of the physical border fence between Spain and Gibraltar and the establishment of a customs union, while Spain maintains its sovereignty claim intact.12Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de España. Gibraltar The agreement requires ratification by both the EU and the UK before it takes effect.