British Overseas Territories

British Overseas Territories
Flag
Anthem: "God Save the Queen" Menu 0:00
Location of the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Largest territory	British Antarctic Territory
Official languages	English
Demonym(s)	British Briton
Government	Devolved administrations under a constitutional monarchy
• Monarch	Elizabeth II
• Prime Minister of the United Kingdom	Boris Johnson
• Foreign Secretary	Dominic Raab
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for European Neighbourhood and the Americas	Wendy Morton
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Overseas Territories and Sustainable Development	Vacant (As of 25 November 2020)
Area
• Total	18,015[a] km2 (6,956 sq mi)
Population
• 2019 estimate	272,256
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy

The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories all with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom.^[1][2] They are remnants of the British Empire and do not form part of the United Kingdom itself. Some of the permanently inhabited territories are internally self-governing, with the UK retaining responsibility for defence and foreign relations. Ten of the territories are listed by the UN Special Committee on Decolonization as non-self-governing territories. Three are inhabited only by a transitory population of military or scientific personnel. They all have the British monarch as head of state.^{[3][better source needed]}

As of April 2018, three Territories (the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus) are the responsibility of the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas; the Minister responsible for the remaining Territories is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Overseas Territories and Sustainable Development.^[4]

Current overseas territories[]

The fourteen British Overseas Territories are:^[5]

Flag	Arms	Name	Location	Motto	Area	GDP (nominal)	GDP per capita (nominal)	Population	Capital
		Anguilla	Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean	"Unity, Strength and Endurance"	91 km2 (35.1 sq mi)[6]	$299 million	$20,307	14,869 (2019 estimate)[7]	The Valley
		Bermuda	North Atlantic Ocean between the Azores, the Caribbean, Cape Sable Island in Canada, and Cape Hatteras (its nearest neighbour) in the United States	"Quo fata ferunt" (Latin; "Whither the Fates carry [us]")	54 km2 (20.8 sq mi)[8]	$6.464 billion	$102,987	62,506 (2019 estimate)[9]	Hamilton
		British Antarctic Territory	Antarctica	"Research and discovery"	1,709,400 km2 (660,000 sq mi)[6]			0 50 non-permanent in winter, over 400 in summer (research personnel)[10]	Rothera (main base)
		British Indian Ocean Territory	Indian Ocean	"In tutela nostra Limuria" (Latin; "Limuria is in our charge")	60 km2 (23 sq mi)[11]			0 3,000 non-permanent (UK and US military and staff personnel; estimate)[12]	Diego Garcia (base)
		British Virgin Islands	Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean	"Vigilate" (Latin; "Be watchful")	153 km2 (59 sq mi)[13]	$1.05 billion	$48,511	31,758 (2018 census)[14]	Road Town
		Cayman Islands	Caribbean	"He hath founded it upon the seas"	264 km2 (101.9 sq mi)[15]	$4.298 billion	$85,474	68,076 (2019 estimate)[15]	George Town
		Falkland Islands	South Atlantic Ocean	"Desire the right"	12,173 km2 (4,700 sq mi)[8]	$164.5 million	$70,800	3,377 (2019 estimate)[16] 1,350 non-permanent (UK military personnel; 2012 estimate)	Stanley
		Gibraltar	Iberian Peninsula, Continental Europe	"Nulli expugnabilis hosti" (Latin; "No enemy shall expel us")	6.5 km2 (2.5 sq mi)[17]	$3.08 billion	$92,843	33,701 (2019 estimate)[18] 1,250 non-permanent (UK military personnel; 2012 estimate)	Gibraltar
		Montserrat	Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean	"A people of excellence, moulded by nature, nurtured by God"	101 km2 (39 sq mi)[19]	$61 million	$12,181	5,215 (2019 census)[20]	Plymouth (abandoned due to volcano—de facto capital is Brades)
		Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands	Pacific Ocean		47 km2 (18 sq mi)[21]	$144,715	$2,894	50 (2018 estimate)[22] 6 non-permanent (2014 estimate)[23]	Adamstown
		Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, including:	South Atlantic Ocean		420 km2 (162 sq mi)	$55.7 million	$12,230	5,633 (total; 2016 census)	Jamestown
		Saint Helena		"Loyal and Unshakeable" (Saint Helena)				4,349 (Saint Helena; 2019 census)[24]
		Ascension Island						880 (Ascension; estimate)[25] 1,000 non-permanent (Ascension; UK military personnel; estimate)[25]
		Tristan da Cunha		"Our faith is our strength" (Tristan da Cunha)				300 (Tristan da Cunha; estimate)[25] 9 non-permanent (Tristan da Cunha; weather personnel)
		South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	South Atlantic Ocean	"Leo terram propriam protegat" (Latin; "Let the lion protect his own land")	3,903 km2 (1,507 sq mi)[26]			0 99 non-permanent (officials and research personnel)[27]	King Edward Point
		Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Cyprus, Mediterranean Sea		255 km2 (98 sq mi)[28]			7,700 (Cypriots; estimate) 8,000 non-permanent (UK military personnel and their families; estimate)	Episkopi Cantonment
		Turks and Caicos Islands	Lucayan Archipelago, North Atlantic Ocean		430 km2 (166 sq mi)[29]	$1.077 billion	£28,589	38,191 (2019 estimate)[30]	Cockburn Town
		Overall			c. 1,727,415 km2 [citation needed]	c. $16.55 billion		c. 272,256[31]

Map[]

  British Overseas Territories

  United Kingdom

  Crown dependencies

Collective titles[]

Flag of the Friends of the British Overseas Territories, a charitable organisation^[32]

This article is part of a series on
Politics of the United Kingdom
show Constitution Parliamentary sovereignty Rule of law Other constitutional principles
show The Crown The Monarch (List) Elizabeth II Heir Apparent Charles, Prince of Wales Royal family Succession Prerogative Counsellors of State
show Executive Privy Council Elizabeth II (Queen-in-Council) HM Government Prime Minister (List) Boris Johnson (C) First Secretary of State Dominic Raab (C) Cabinet (List) Departments Ministers Agencies
show Legislature UK Parliament Elizabeth II (Queen-in-Parliament) House of Lords Lord Speaker The Lord McFall of Alcluith House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer (L) Act of Parliament 58th Parliament Opposition List of MPs
show Judiciary Elizabeth II (Queen-on-the-Bench) Supreme Court President The Lord Reed Deputy President The Lord Hodge Justices of the Supreme Court UK England and Wales Scotland NI
show Elections & Referendums UK Parliament Constituencies (2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies) Political parties Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 Scottish Parliament Constituencies and Electoral Regions Senedd Constituencies and Electoral Regions UK General Elections 1801 co-option 1802 1806 1807 1812 1818 1820 1826 1830 1831 1832–33 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 1910 (Jan–Feb) 1910 (Dec) 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 (Feb) 1974 (Oct) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 Next European Parliament Elections (1979–2019) 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 Scottish Parliament Elections 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 Northern Ireland Assembly Elections 1998 2003 2007 2011 2016 2017 Next Senedd Elections 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 UK Referendums 1975 2011 2016
show Devolution Joint Ministerial Committee Legislative consent motions  England Governance of England English votes for English laws Greater London Authority 1998 Referendum Greater London Authority Act 1999 (2007 Act) Mayor of London Sadiq Khan Mayoral cabinet London Assembly London Plan Combined authorities Metro mayors Cornwall Council Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Act 1998 (2006 Act) First Minister Paul Givan deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill Executive Assembly Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly Law of Northern Ireland  Scotland 1997 Referendum Scotland Act 1998 (2012 Act, 2016 Act) First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Government Scottish Parliament Act of the Scottish Parliament Scottish statutory instrument Scots law  Wales 1997 Referendum (2011 Referendum on law-making powers) Government of Wales Act 1998 (2006 Act, Wales Act 2014, Wales Act 2017) First Minister Mark Drakeford Government Senedd Measure of the National Assembly for Wales (1999–2011) Act of Senedd Cymru Welsh law
show Administration England History Subdivisions: Regions Ceremonial counties (list) Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties Metropolitan county Non-metropolitan county Greater London Unitary authorities (list) Districts (list) Metropolitan Borough Non-metropolitan District London Borough Civil parishes (list) Historic counties Northern Ireland History Subdivisions: Counties Districts Scotland History Subdivisions: Sheriffdoms Council areas Community council areas Civil parishes Shires of Scotland Wales History Preserved counties Principal areas Communities (list) Historic counties
show Crown Dependencies Bailiwick of Guernsey ( Guernsey  Alderney  Sark)  Bailiwick of Jersey  Isle of Man British Islands Common Travel Area
show Overseas Territories  Akrotiri and Dhekelia  Anguilla  Bermuda  British Antarctic Territory  British Indian Ocean Territory  British Virgin Islands  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  Turks and Caicos Islands British Overseas Territories citizen Visa requirements Visa policies British Overseas Territories Act 2002 Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute Gibraltar sovereignty dispute Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute
show Foreign relations Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Foreign policy (History) Diplomatic missions of / in the United Kingdom UK Passport British National (Overseas) Passport Visa requirements Visa policy Trade agreements Australia Belgium Canada China Hong Kong Cyprus France Germany India Kenya Malaysia Malta Netherlands New Zealand Russia Singapore Spain South Africa Pakistan Portugal United States Ireland Politics of Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement UK–Ireland border Brexit and the Irish border British–Irish Council European Union (History) Brexit Post-Brexit United Kingdom relations with the European Union UK–EU withdrawal agreement The Commonwealth Member states of the Commonwealth United Kingdom and the United Nations United Nations Security Council P5 NATO G20 G7
United Kingdom portal Other countries
v t

The term "British Overseas Territory" was introduced by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002, replacing the term British Dependent Territory, introduced by the British Nationality Act 1981. Prior to 1 January 1983, the territories were officially referred to as British Crown Colonies.

Although the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man are also under the sovereignty of the British monarch, they are in a different constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom.^[33][34] The British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are themselves distinct from the Commonwealth realms, a group of 16 independent countries (including the United Kingdom) each having Elizabeth II as their reigning monarch, and from the Commonwealth of Nations, a voluntary association of 53 countries mostly with historic links to the British Empire (which also includes all Commonwealth realms).

Population[]

With the exceptions of the British Antarctic Territory and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (which host only officials and research station staff) and the British Indian Ocean Territory (used as a military base), the Territories retain permanent civilian populations. Permanent residency for the approximately 7,000 civilians living in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia is limited to citizens of the Republic of Cyprus^{[citation needed]}.

Collectively, the Territories encompass a population of about 250,000 people^[31] and a land area of about 1,700,000 square kilometres (660,000 sq mi).^{[citation needed]} The vast majority of this land area constitutes the almost uninhabited British Antarctic Territory (the land area of all the territories excepting the Antarctic territory is only 18,015 square kilometres (6,956 sq mi)), while the two largest territories by population, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, account for about half of the total BOT population. At the other end of the scale, three territories have no civilian population; the Antarctic territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory (from which the Chagos Islanders were controversially removed) and South Georgia. Pitcairn Islands, settled by the survivors of the Mutiny on the Bounty, is the smallest settled territory with 49 inhabitants, while the smallest by land area is Gibraltar on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.^[35] The United Kingdom participates in the Antarctic Treaty System^[36] and, as part of a mutual agreement, the British Antarctic Territory is recognised by four of the six other sovereign nations making claims to Antarctic territory.

History[]

St. George's town (originally named New London), in the Islands of Bermuda, or "The Somers Isles". The colony was founded by the wrecking of the flagship of the Virginia Company in 1609. The company's charter was extended to include Bermuda in 1612, and it has remained an English (since 1707, British) colony ever since. Since the rebellion of Virginia, it has been the oldest-remaining British colony, and the town of St. George's is the oldest continuously inhabited British settlement in the New World.^[37]

Early colonies, in the sense of English subjects residing in lands hitherto outside the control of the English government, were generally known as "Plantations".

The first, unofficial, colony was Newfoundland, where English fishermen routinely set up seasonal camps in the 16th century.^[38] It is now a province of Canada known as Newfoundland and Labrador. It retains strong cultural ties with Britain.

After failed attempts, including the Roanoke Colony, permanent English colonisation of North America began officially in 1607 with the settlement of Jamestown, the first successful permanent colony in Virginia (a term that was then applied generally to North America). Its offshoot, Bermuda, was settled inadvertently after the wrecking of the Virginia Company's flagship there in 1609, with the Virginia Company's charter extended to officially include the archipelago in 1612. St. George's town, founded in Bermuda in that year, remains the oldest continuously inhabited British settlement in the New World (with some historians stating that – its formation predating the 1619 conversion of "James Fort" into "Jamestown" – St. George's was actually the first successful town the English established in the New World). Bermuda and Bermudians have played important, sometimes pivotal, but generally underestimated or unacknowledged roles in the shaping of the English and British trans-Atlantic Empires. These include maritime commerce, settlement of the continent and of the West Indies, and the projection of naval power via the colony's privateers, among other areas.^[39][40]

The growth of the British Empire in the 19th century, to its territorial peak in the 1920s, saw Britain acquire nearly one quarter of the world's land mass, including territories with large indigenous populations in Asia and Africa. From the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, the larger settler colonies – in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – first became self-governing colonies and then achieved independence in all matters except foreign policy, defence and trade. Separate self-governing colonies federated to become Canada (in 1867), Australia (in 1901), South Africa (in 1910), and Rhodesia (in 1965). These and other large self-governing colonies had become known as Dominions by the 1920s. The Dominions achieved almost full independence with the Statute of Westminster (1931).

Five of the overseas territories are in the Caribbean, as shown on the map.

Through a process of decolonisation following the Second World War, most of the British colonies in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean chose independence. Some colonies became Commonwealth realms, retaining the British monarch as their own head of state.^[41] Most former colonies and protectorates became member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, a non-political, voluntary association of equal members, comprising a population of around 2.2 billion people.^[42]

After the independence of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in Africa in 1980 and British Honduras (now Belize) in Central America in 1981, the last major colony that remained was Hong Kong, with a population of over 5 million.^[43] With 1997 approaching, the United Kingdom and China negotiated the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which led to the whole of Hong Kong becoming a "special administrative region" of China in 1997, subject to various conditions intended to guarantee the preservation of Hong Kong's capitalist economy and its way of life under British rule for at least 50 years after the handover. George Town in the Cayman Islands has consequently become the largest city in the Overseas Territories.

In 2002, the British Parliament passed the British Overseas Territories Act 2002. This reclassified the UK's dependent territories as overseas territories and, with the exception of those people solely connected with the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus, restored full British citizenship to their inhabitants.^[44]

During the European Union (EU) membership of the UK the main body of EU law did not apply and, although certain slices of EU law were applied to the overseas territories as part of the EU's Association of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT Association), they were not commonly enforceable in local courts. The OCT Association also provided overseas territories with structural funding for regeneration projects. Gibraltar was the only overseas territory that was part of the EU, although it was not part of the European Customs Union, the European Tax Policy, the European Statistics Zone or the Common Agriculture Policy. Gibraltar was not a member of the European Union in its own right, having had its representation in the European Parliament through its Members from South West England. Overseas citizens held concurrent European Union citizenship, having given them rights of free movement across all EU member states.

The Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus were never part of the European Union, but they are the only British overseas territory to use the Euro as official currency, having previously had the Cypriot pound as their currency until 1 January 2008.

Government[]

McKeeva Bush, Premier of the Cayman Islands from 2009 to 2012

Head of state[]

The head of state in the overseas territories is the British monarch, Elizabeth II. The Queen's role in the territories is in her role as Queen of the United Kingdom, and not in right of each territory.^[45] The Queen appoints a representative in each territory to exercise her executive power. In territories with a permanent population, a Governor is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the British Government. Currently (2019) all but two Governors are either career diplomats or have worked in other Civil Service departments. The remaining two Governors are former members of the British armed forces. In territories without a permanent population, a Commissioner is usually appointed to represent the Queen. Exceptionally, in the overseas territories of Saint Helena, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha and the Pitcairn Islands, an Administrator is appointed to be the Governor's representative. In the territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, there is an Administrator in each of the two distant parts of the territory, namely Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. The Administrator of the Pitcairn Islands resides on Pitcairn, with the Governor based in New Zealand.

The role of the Governor is to act as the de facto head of state, and they are usually responsible for appointing the head of government, and senior political positions in the territory. The Governor is also responsible for liaising with the UK Government, and carrying out any ceremonial duties. A Commissioner has the same powers as a Governor, but also acts as the head of government.^[45]

Local government[]

All the overseas territories have their own system of government, and localised laws. The structure of the government appears to be closely correlated to the size and political development of the territory.^[45]

Legal system[]

Each overseas territory has its own legal system independent of the United Kingdom. The legal system is generally based on English common law, with some distinctions for local circumstances. Each territory has its own attorney general, and court system. For the smaller territories, the UK may appoint a UK-based lawyer or judge to work on legal cases. This is particularly important for cases involving serious crimes and where it is impossible to find a jury who will not know the defendant in a small population island.^[51]

The Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004 is an example of how the UK may choose to provide the legal framework for particular cases where the territory cannot do so alone.

The highest court for all the British Overseas Territories is the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.

Police and Enforcement[]

The British Overseas Territories generally look after their own policing matters and have their own police forces. In smaller territories, the senior officer(s) may be recruited or seconded from a UK police force, and specialist staff and equipment may be sent to assist the local force.

Some territories may have other forces beyond the main territorial police, for instance an airport police, such as Airport Security Police (Bermuda), or a defence police force, such as the Gibraltar Defence Police. In addition, most territories have customs, immigration, border, and coastguard agencies.

Territories with military bases or responsibilities may also have "Overseas Service Police", members of the British or Commonwealth Armed Forces.

Joint Ministerial Council[]

A Joint Ministerial Council of UK ministers, and the leaders of the Overseas Territories has been held annually since 2012 to provide representation between UK Government departments and Overseas Territory Governments.^[52]

Disputed sovereignty[]

The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is the subject of a territorial dispute with Mauritius, the government of which claims that the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from the rest of British Mauritius in 1965, three years before Mauritius was granted independence from the United Kingdom, was not lawful. The long-running dispute was referred in 2017 to the International Court of Justice, which issued an advisory opinion on 25 February 2019 which supported the position of the Government of Mauritius.

The British Antarctic Territory has some overlap with territorial claims by both Argentina and Chile. However, territorial claims on the continent may not currently be advanced, under the holding measures of the Antarctic Treaty System.^[53]

Relations with the United Kingdom[]

Leaders of the Overseas Territories with the Prime Minister, David Cameron, in 2012

Tristan da Cunha on 6 February 2013, as seen from space. The population was temporarily evacuated to the UK in 1961 because of an eruption. Postal code TDCU 1ZZ

Coastline at Little Bay, the site of the new capital of Montserrat replacing Plymouth. The project is funded by the^[54] UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (previously the Department for International Development).

British Overseas Territories at the same geographic scale as the UK

Historically the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Colonial Office were responsible for overseeing all British Colonies, but today the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has the responsibility of looking after the interests of all overseas territories except the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence.^[55][56] Within the FCDO, the general responsibility for the territories is handled by the Overseas Territories Directorate.^[57]

In 2012, the FCO published The Overseas Territories: security, success and sustainability which set out Britain's policy for the Overseas Territories, covering six main areas:^[58]

• Defence, security and safety of the territories and their people
• Successful and resilient economies
• Cherishing the environment
• Making government work better
• Vibrant and flourishing communities
• Productive links with the wider world

Britain and the overseas territories do not have diplomatic representations, although the governments of the overseas territories with indigenous populations all retain a representative office in London. The United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) also represents the interests of the territories in London. The governments in both London and territories occasionally meet to mitigate or resolve disagreements over the process of governance in the territories and levels of autonomy.^[59]

Britain provides financial assistance to the overseas territories via the FCDO (previously the Department for International Development). Currently^[when?] only Montserrat and Saint Helena receive budgetary aid (i.e. financial contribution to recurrent funding).^{[citation needed]} Several specialist funds are made available by the UK, including:

• The Good Government Fund which provides assistance on government administration;
• The Economic Diversification Programme Budget which aim to diversify and enhance the economic bases of the territories.

The territories have no official representation in the UK Parliament, but have informal representation through the All-Party Parliamentary Group,^[60] and can petition the UK Government through the Directgov e-Petitions website.^[61]

Two national parties, UKIP and the Liberal Democrats, have endorsed calls for direct representation of overseas territories in the UK Parliament, as well as backbench members of the Conservative Party and Labour Party.^[62][63]

Andrew Rosindell, MP for Romford is an advocate of reserving seats in the British House of Commons for the British Overseas Territories, especially for the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.

Foreign affairs[]

Map showing the portion of Antarctica claimed by the UK as British Antarctic Territory

Gibraltar was the only overseas territory included in the European Union.

Foreign affairs of the overseas territories are handled by the FCDO in London. Some territories maintain diplomatic officers in nearby countries for trade and immigration purposes. Several of the territories in the Americas maintain membership within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, the Caribbean Community, the Caribbean Development Bank, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, and the Association of Caribbean States. The territories are members of the Commonwealth of Nations through the United Kingdom. The inhabited territories compete in their own right at the Commonwealth Games, and three of the territories (Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands) sent teams to the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Full British citizenship^[64] has been granted to most 'belongers' of overseas territories (mainly since the British Overseas Territories Act 2002).

Most countries do not recognise the sovereignty claims of any other country, including Britain's, to Antarctica and its off-shore islands. Five nations contest, with counter-claims, the UK's sovereignty in the following overseas territories:

• British Antarctic Territory – Territory overlaps Antarctic claims made by Chile and Argentina
• British Indian Ocean Territory – claimed by Mauritius
• Falkland Islands – claimed by Argentina
• Gibraltar – border disputed by Spain
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands – claimed by Argentina

Citizenship[]

The people of the British Overseas Territories are British Nationals. Most of the overseas territories distinguish between those British nationals who have rights reserved under the local government for those with a qualifying connection to the territory. In Bermuda, by example, this is called "Bermudian status", and can be inherited or obtained subject to conditions laid down by the local government (non-British nationals must necessarily obtain British nationality in order to obtain Bermudian status). Although the expression "belonger status" is not used in Bermuda, it is used elsewhere in Wikipedia to refer to all such statuses of various of the British Overseas Territories collectively. This status is neither a nationality nor a citizenship, though it confers rights under local legislation. Prior to 1968, the British government made no citizenship (or connected rights) distinction between its nationals in the United Kingdom and those in the British colonies (as the British Overseas Territories were then termed). Indeed, the people of Bermuda had been explicitly guaranteed by Royal Charters for the Virginia Company in 1607 (extended to Bermuda in 1612) and the Somers Isles Company (in 1615) that they and their descendants would have exactly the same rights as they would if they had they been born in England. Despite this, British Colonials without a qualifying connection to the island of Britain or Northern Ireland were stripped of the rights of abode and free entry in 1968, and in 1983 the British Government replaced Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies with British Citizenship (with rights of abode and free entry to the United Kingdom) for those with a qualifying connection to the United Kingdom or British Dependent Territories Citizenship for those with a connection only to a colony, at the same time re-designated a British Dependent Territory. This category of citizenship was distinguished from British Citizenship by what it did not include, the rights of abode and free entry to the United Kingdom, and was not specific to any colony but to all collectively, except for Gibraltar and the Falklands Islands, the people of which retained British Citizenship. It was stated by Conservative Party backbenchers that the secret intent of the Conservative Government was to restore a single citizenship with full rights across the United Kingdom and the British Dependent Territories once Hong Kong and its British Dependent Territories Citizens had been returned to the People's Republic of China in 1997. By that time, the Labour Government of Tony Blair was in government. Labour had decried the discrimination against the people of the British Dependent Territories (other than those of Gibraltar and the Falklands), which was understood universally as intended to raise a colour bar, and had done so given that most white colonials were not affected by it, and had made restoration of a single citizenship part of its election manifesto.

In 2002, when the British Dependent Territories became the British Overseas Territories, the default citizenship was renamed British Overseas Territories Citizenship (except still for Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, for which British Citizenship remained the default), the immigration bars against its holders were lowered, and its holders were also entitled to obtain British Citizenship by obtaining a second British Passport (something that had previously been illegal) with the citizenship so indicated. As British Overseas Territories Citizens must provide their British Passport with the citizenship shown as British Overseas Territories Citizen in order to prove their entitlement to obtain a passport with the citizenship shown as British Citizen, most now have two passports, though the local governments of the territories do not distinguish an individual's local status based on either form of citizenship, and the passport with the citizenship shown as British Citizen consequently shows the holder to be entitled to all of the same right as does the passport with the citizenship shown as British Overseas Territories Citizen, and is often required to access services in the United Kingdom, and is accepted by the immigration authorities of more foreign countries, many of which have barriers against holders of British Overseas Territories Citizen passport holders that do not apply to British Citizen passport holders (the exception being the United States in relation to Bermuda, with which it has retained close links since Bermuda was founded as an extension of Virginia).

In regard to movement within British sovereign territory, only British citizenship grants the right of abode in a specific country or territory, namely, the United Kingdom proper (which includes its three Crown Dependencies). Individual overseas territories have legislative independence over immigration, and consequently, BOTC status, as noted above, does not automatically grant the right of abode in any of the territories, as it depends on the territory's immigration laws. A territory may issue belonger status to allow a person to reside in the territory that they have close links with. The governor or immigration department of a territory may also grant the territorial status to a resident who does not hold it as a birthright.

Thousands of Gibraltarians dress in their national colours of red and white during the 2013 Gibraltar National Day celebrations. Gibraltarians were the only group of overseas territories residents who could apply for full British citizenship without restrictions before 2002.

From 1949 to 1983, the nationality status of Citizenship of UK and Colonies (CUKC) was shared by residents of the UK proper and residents of overseas territories, although most residents of overseas territories lost their automatic right to live in the UK after the ratification of Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968 that year unless they were born in the UK proper or had a parent or a grandparent born in the UK.^[65] In 1983, CUKC status of residents of overseas territories without the right of abode in the UK was replaced by British Dependent Territories citizenship (BDTC) in the newly minted British Nationality Act 1981, a status that does not come with it the right of abode in the UK or any overseas territory. For these residents, registration as full British citizens then required physical residence in the UK proper. There were only two exceptions: Falkland Islanders, who were automatically granted British citizenship and was treated as a part of the UK proper through the enactment of British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983 due to the Falklands War with Argentina, and Gibraltarians who were given the special entitlement to be registered as British citizens upon request without further conditions because of its individual membership in the European Economic Area and the European Community.^[66]

Five years after the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the British government amended the 1981 Act to give British citizenship without restrictions to all BDTCs (the status was also renamed BOTC at the same time) except for those solely connected with Akrotiri and Dhekelia (whose residents already held Cypriot citizenship).^[67] This restored the right of abode in the UK to residents of overseas territories after a 34-year hiatus from 1968 to 2002.

Military[]

RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands

Defence of the Overseas Territories is the responsibility of the UK. Many of the overseas territories are used as military bases by the UK and its allies.

• Ascension Island (part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha) – the Base known as RAF Ascension Island is used by both the Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force.
• Bermuda – became the primary Royal Navy base in North America, following US independence. The Naval establishment included an admiralty, a dockyard, and a naval squadron. A considerable military garrison was built up to protect it, and Bermuda, which the British Government came to see as a base, rather than as a colony, was known as Fortress Bermuda, and the Gibraltar of the West (Bermudians, like Gibraltarians, also dub their territory "The Rock").^[68] Canada and the USA also established bases in Bermuda during the Second World War, which were maintained through the Cold War. Four air bases were located in Bermuda during the Second World War (operated by the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, US Navy, and US Army/Army Air Force). Since 1995, the military force in Bermuda has been reduced to the local territorial battalion, the Royal Bermuda Regiment.
• British Indian Ocean Territory – the island of Diego Garcia is home to a large naval base and airbase leased to the United States by the United Kingdom until 2036 (unless renewed). There are British forces in small numbers in the BIOT for administrative and immigration purposes.
• Falkland Islands – the British Forces Falkland Islands includes commitments from the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, along with the Falkland Islands Defence Force.
• Gibraltar – British Forces Gibraltar includes a Royal Navy dockyard (also used by NATO), RAF Gibraltar – used by the RAF and NATO and a local garrison – the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.
• The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus – maintained as strategic British military bases in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
• Montserrat – the Royal Montserrat Defence Force, historically connected with the Irish Guards, is a body of twenty volunteers, whose duties are primarily ceremonial.^[69]
• Cayman Islands - The Cayman Regiment is the home defence unit of the Cayman Islands. It is a single territorial infantry battalion of the British Armed Forces that was formed in 2020.^[70]
• Turks and Caicos - The Turks and Caicos Regiment is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is a single territorial infantry battalion of the British Armed Forces that was formed in 2020, similar to the Cayman Regiment.^[71]

Languages[]

Cliffs at Gough and Inaccessible Islands

Most of the languages other than English spoken in the territories contain a large degree of English, either as a root language, or in codeswitching, e.g. Llanito. They include:

• Llanito or Yanito and Spanish (Gibraltar)
• Cayman Creole (Cayman Islands)
• Turks-Caicos Creole (Turks and Caicos Islands)
• Pitkern (Pitcairn Islands)
• Greek (Akrotiri and Dhekelia)

Forms of English:

• Bermudian English (Bermuda)
• Falkland Islands English

Currencies[]

The 14 British overseas territories use a varied assortment of currencies, including the Euro, British pound, United States dollar, New Zealand dollar, or their own currencies, which may be pegged to one of these.

¹ Part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.

Symbols and insignia[]

Overseas Territories flags in Parliament Square in 2013

Each overseas territory has been granted its own flag and coat of arms by the British monarch. Traditionally, the flags follow the Blue Ensign design, with the Union Flag in the canton, and the territory's coat of arms in the fly. Exceptions to this are Bermuda which uses a Red Ensign; British Antarctic Territory which uses a White Ensign, but without the overall cross of St. George; British Indian Ocean Territory which uses a Blue Ensign with wavy lines to symbolise the sea; and Gibraltar which uses a banner of its coat of arms (the flag of the city of Gibraltar).

Akrotiri and Dhekelia and Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha are the only British overseas territories without their own flag, though Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha have their own individual flags. The Union Flag is used in these territories.

Sports[]

Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands are the only British Overseas Territories with recognised National Olympic Committees (NOCs); the British Olympic Association is recognised as the appropriate NOC for athletes from the other territories, and thus athletes who hold a British passport are eligible to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games.^[78]

Shara Proctor from Anguilla, Delano Williams from the Turks and Caicos Islands, Jenaya Wade-Fray from Bermuda^[79] and Georgina Cassar from Gibraltar strived to represent Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics. Proctor, Wade-Fray and Cassar qualified for Team GB, with Williams missing the cut, however wishing to represent the UK in 2016.^[80][81]

The Gibraltar national football team was accepted into UEFA in 2013 in time for the 2016 European Championships. It has been accepted by FIFA and went into the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, where they achieved 0 points.

Gibraltar has hosted and competed in the Island Games, most recently in 2019.

Biodiversity[]

The World Heritage Sites of the UK (Overseas Territories): The natural sites of Gough and Inaccessible Islands and Henderson Island are marked green, the cultural sites of the Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Kourion, and Gorham's Cave are marked red.

The British Overseas Territories have more biodiversity than the entire UK mainland.^[82] There are at least 180 endemic plant species in the overseas territories as opposed to only 12 on the UK mainland. Responsibility for protection of biodiversity and meeting obligations under international environmental conventions is shared between the UK Government and the local governments of the territories.^[83]

Two areas, Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands as well as the Gough and Inaccessible Islands of Tristan Da Cunha are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and two other territories, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Saint Helena are on the United Kingdom's tentative list for future UNESCO World Heritage Sites.^[84][85] Gibraltar's Gorham's Cave Complex is also found on the UK's tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site list.^[86]

The three regions of biodiversity hotspots situated in the British Overseas Territories are the Caribbean Islands, the Mediterranean Basin and the Oceania ecozone in the Pacific.^[83]

The UK created the largest continuous marine protected areas in the world, the Chagos Marine Protected Area, and announced in 2015 funding to establish a new, larger, reserve around the Pitcairn Islands.^[87][88][89]

In January 2016, the UK government announced the intention to create a marine protected area around Ascension Island. The protected area would be 234,291 square kilometers, half of which would be closed to fishing.^[90]

• 

  A Stoplight Parrotfish in Princess Alexandra Land and Sea National Park, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

• 

  Penguins in South Georgia, 2010

• 

  Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands

• 

  Rothera Research Station

See also[]

• British overseas territory citizens in the mainland United Kingdom
• Colonial Department
• Depopulation of Chagossians from the Chagos Archipelago to enable building of a UK-US military base in the British Indian Ocean Territory on Diego Garcia
• List of British Army installations
• List of leaders of Overseas Territories
• List of stock exchanges in the United Kingdom, the British Crown Dependencies and United Kingdom Overseas Territories
• List of universities in British Overseas Territories
• List of postcodes in Overseas Territories
• Secretary of State for the Colonies
• Tax haven lists
• UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum
• United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA)
• Overseas France

Notes[]

References[]

Further reading[]

• Charles Cawley. Colonies in Conflict: The History of the British Overseas Territories (2015) 444pp
• Harry Ritchie, The Last Pink Bits: Travels Through the Remnants of the British Empire (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1997)
• Simon Winchester, Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire (London & New York, 1985)
• George Drower, Britain's Dependent Territories (Dartmouth, 1992)
• George Drower, Overseas Territories Handbook (London: TSO, 1998)
• Ian Hendry and Susan Dickson, "British Overseas Territories Law" (London: Hart Publishing, 2011)
• Ben Fogle, The Teatime Islands: Adventures in Britain's Faraway Outposts (London: Michael Joseph, 2003)
• Bonham C. Richardson (16 January 1992). The Caribbean in the Wider World, 1492–1992. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521359771. Retrieved 8 December 2010.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Overseas Territories.

• Foreign and Commonwealth Office – UK Overseas Territories
• United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association
• British Overseas Territories Act 2002 – Text of the Act