Changes in British sovereignty
 | This article does not cite any sources. (December 2009) |
A list of former British colonies, dependencies and dates when they severed legal ties with Britain:
Gains in sovereignty[]
Losses in sovereignty or other jurisdiction[]
- The Thirteen Colonies declared independence from Great Britain on 4 July 1776.
Egypt (1922) – see Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence.
Australia, 
Canada, the 
Irish Free State, 
New Zealand, 
Dominion of Newfoundland, and 
Union of South Africa (1926) – Dominions at the time of the Balfour Declaration of 1926.- Weihai (1930) – fully restored to
Republic of China sovereignty on 1 October. - Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, New Zealand, Dominion of Newfoundland, and Union of South Africa (1931) – Sovereignty over these relinquished on 11 December as per the Statute of Westminster
British Raj (1947) – partitioned on 15 August into the independent dominions of 
India and 
Pakistan.
Burma and 
Dominion of Ceylon (1948) – independence to Burma as a republic granted on 4 January; to Ceylon on 4 February.- Dominion of Newfoundland (1949) – incorporated into Canada as a province on 31 March.
Sudan (1956) – independence granted on 1 January (was a condominium with 
Egypt)
Gold Coast (as 
Ghana) (1957) – independence granted on 6 March.- States of
Malacca and 
Penang (1957) – joined 
Malaya on 31 August. 
British Somaliland (1960) – became part of a unified 
Somalia on 1 July.
Cyprus and the 
Federation of Nigeria (1960) – independence granted to Cyprus on 16 August; to Nigeria on 1 October.
Sierra Leone and 
Tanganyika (1961) – independence granted to Sierra Leone on 27 April; to Tanganyika on 9 December.
British Cameroon (1961) – incorporated into 
Cameroon on 1 October.
Jamaica, 
Trinidad and Tobago and 
Uganda (1962) – independence granted to Jamaica on 6 August; to Trinidad and Tobago on 31 August; and to Uganda on 9 October.- States of
Sabah (as 
North Borneo), 
Sarawak, and 
Singapore (1963) – states formed 
Malaysia with the Federation of Malaya on 16 September - Nigeria and
Kenya independence granted to Nigeria as federal republic on 1 October; Kenya on 12 December. 
Malawi (as 
Nyasaland), Malta, and Zambia (1964) – independence granted to Malawi on 6 July; Malta on 21 September; Zambia on 24 October.
The Gambia (1965) – independence granted on 18 February.
Guyana (as 
British Guiana), 
Botswana (as 
Bechuanaland Protectorate), 
Lesotho (as Basutoland), and 
Barbados (1966) – independence granted to Guyana on 26 May; Botswana on 30 September; Lesotho on 4 October; Barbados on 30 November.- State of
Aden (1967) – joined 
South Yemen on 30 November. 
Mauritius and 
Swaziland (1968) – independence granted to Mauritius on 12 March; to Swaziland on 6 September.
Fiji (1970) – independence granted on 10 October.
The Bahamas (1973) – independence granted on 10 July.
Seychelles, 
Solomon Islands, 
Tuvalu, and 
Dominica (1978) – independence granted to Seychelles on 29 June; to Solomon Islands on 7 July; to Tuvalu on 1 October; to Dominica as a republic on 3 November.
Saint Lucia, 
Kiribati, and 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1979) – independence granted to Saint Lucia on 22 February; to Kiribati on 12 July; to Saint VIncent and the Grenadines on 27 October.
Zimbabwe (as 
Southern Rhodesia) and 
Vanuatu (as 
New Hebrides) (1980) – independence to Zimbabwe as a republic granted on 17 April; to Vanuatu on 1 July.
Belize and 
Antigua and Barbuda (1981) – independence granted to Belize on 21 September; to Antigua and Barbuda on 1 November.
Saint Kitts and Nevis (1983) – independence granted on 19 September. Anguilla remains a British overseas territory.
Hong Kong (1997) – returned to the People's Republic of China as a Special Administrative Region on 1 July as per the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Termination of personal union or other connection with the United Kingdom's monarchy[]
- Ireland (1949) – dominion status ended by unilateral legislative act on 18 April and left the Commonwealth.
- India (1950) – dominion status ended by constitutional amendment on 26 January.
- Pakistan (1956) – dominion status ended with new constitution on 23 March.
- Ghana (1960) – dominion status ended by referendum on 1 July.
- South Africa (1961) – dominion status ended by referendum on 31 May and left the Commonwealth.
- Tanganyika (1962) – dominion status ended on 9 December.
- Uganda (1963) – dominion status ended by Constitution of Uganda constitutional amendment on 9 October.
- Kenya (1964) – dominion status ended with new constitution on 12 December.
- Nigeria and the Malawi (1966) – dominion status ended by Nigeria via constitutional amendment on 24 May; Malawi via new constitution on 6 July.
- Guyana and The Gambia (1970) – dominion statuses ended by Guyana via constitutional amendment effective 17 March; The Gambia via referendum on 14 April.
- Sierra Leone (1971) – dominion status ended on 19 April.
- Ceylon (1972) – dominion status ended on 22 May; renamed Sri Lanka.
Malta (1974) – dominion status ended on 13 December.- Trinidad and Tobago (1976) – dominion status ended on 1 March.
- Mauritius (1992) – dominion status ended on 12 March.
- Barbados (2021) – dominion status ended by constitutional amendment on 30 November.
Other changes[]
Canada (1982) – severed legal ties with Britain, but retains Elizabeth II as head of state.- Australia and New Zealand (1986) – severed legal ties with Britain, but both individually retain Elizabeth II as head of state.
- Fiji (1987) – post-coup end of dominion status accepted on 15 October. Elizabeth II remained traditional (though unofficial) Paramount Chief until 2012, when the informal links with the British monarchy have been terminated.
- New Zealand (2003) – court of final appeal transferred from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to the Supreme Court of New Zealand, which was created in 2004.
Categories:
- Political history of the United Kingdom