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The British overseas territories are 14 territories throughout the world that are under the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom (UK). They are not classed as part of the UK, although, from 2002, the inhabitants of all but one again have full British Citizen ship. Restrictions on the rights of abode and work had first been placed on citizens from the then colonies by an , which was invaded by Argentina in that year. Full British citizenship was later returned to citizens in Gibraltar following their difficulties with Spain . Many citizens in the remaining territories saw this exclusion of all but those two territories with an overwhelmingly white population as revealing a racial imperative. A similar suspicion was widely harboured about the distinction made between the Dependent Territories and the British Crown Dependencies (see below). Conservative Party back benchers had reported that it was the policy of the party then in Government to return full British citizenship to the Dependent Territories (a term which caused great ire within those territories, especially in Bermuda ) once Hong Kong had returned to China, but the official policy of the Government made no reference to this. In any case, the Conservative Party was no longer in power after the return of Hong Kong. The Labour Party , in its victorious campaign under Tony Blair , however, declared that the Dependent Territories had been 'hard-done by', and that a single citizenship would again encompass them, repairing Rights Of Abode and work in the UK, as well as within the European Union . This was not the Labour Party's highest priority, however, and the press of other business meant that it failed to make good on its promise during its first term in Government. The House of Lords finally tabled and passed its own bill, passing it down to the House of Commons for confirmation, the reverse of the normal procedure. The territories are the last remaining overseas possessions of the British Empire that have not chosen independence. This can be due to several different reasons ranging from a wish to retain ties with the United Kingdom; while others are small or uninhabited lands that cannot become independent. The much-loathed term "Dependent Territory" was replaced with "Overseas Territory" at the same time that full citizenship was returned to those territories in 2002 . The Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus are governed as an overseas territory by the British Military . The term does not apply to Jersey , Guernsey or the Isle Of Man which are classed as Crown Dependencies , as they are possessions of the British Crown . History See Also: British Empire on July 1 , 1997 , the last major British colony.]] England's imperial aspirations, beyond its immediate Celtic neighbours, and the claims made by its one-time Norman rulers on French territory, began with its claiming of Newfoundland, where English fishermen routinely set up seasonal camps in the 16th Century. The "Old Empire" began, however, with the first successful permanent colony in 'Virginia' (a term that was then applied generally to North America). The colony, Jamestown, was established by a private company, the Virginia Company , operating under Royal Charter. Following the wrecking of the Company's flag ship in Bermuda in 1609, its charter was extended to include that second colony, the oldest British colony remaining following US independence. The major European imperial power in the New World, at that time, was Spain. Spain's power, however, diminished as England, and then, following its unification with Scotland in 1707, Britain slowly extended its reach southward, into Florida and the West Indies . Britain's main competitor in the 18th Century became France , until British victory in the Seven Years War gave it supremacy in North America . This led to British settlers pressing westward into the territories of former Native American allies which Britain no longer felt the need to court. This led to Pontiac's Rebellion , which inflamed the entire border. The response of the British Government was to denote the Appalachians as the westward limit for European settlement. This interference into the aspirations of wealthy colonial land speculators, like George Washington , and of poorer settlers wanting to settle on Indian land, was the primary cause of the American War Of Independence . The loss of the 13 American colonies seriously affected the economics of the remaining Empire, and simultaneously cost Britain a substantial part of her merchant fleet, and placed those vessels into competition. Britain's ascendancy as a maritime power had largely been due to the abundance of American timber. Her response to this loss was to develop Canada, and especially its lumber and ship building industries. Left with Canada , The Maritimes , Bermuda, and various West Indian islands, Britain redirected its imperial ambitions elsewhere. The growth of the British Empire in the early 18th Century , to its peak in the 1920s , saw the UK acquire over one quarter of the world's land mass. These territories were classed as Colonies , and ruled by a Governor appointed by the British Government. Eventually some of the larger colonies - Canada , Australia , New Zealand and South Africa - began to achieve degrees of independence between 1867 and 1910, obtaining Dominion status by the 1920s, and achieving full legislative independence with the Statute Of Westminster 1931 . After World War II , the Empire gradually transformed into the Commonwealth Of Nations with most of the British colonies in Africa , Asia and the Caribbean achieving independence. Some colonies became Commonwealth Realms , retaining the British monarch as Head Of State , others becoming republics but acknowledged the British monarch as Head Of The Commonwealth . The largest of the British colonies after 1980 was Hong Kong . Unlike other territories, the bulk of Hong Kong was leased to the UK by China under a 99 year lease due to expire in 1997 . China made it clear to the UK that it would not extend the lease and would expect the territory to revert to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. However the idea of handing over the largely democratic and economically successful colony of Hong Kong to Communist China was not appealing to the British Government. Yet there was no realistic hope of retaining the colony without devastating the local population and economy if China were to attempt to seize it by force, leading the Government to sign the Sino-British Joint Declaration agreeing to Hong Kong becoming a " Special Administrative Region " of the PRC in 1997 subject to various conditions guaranteeing the preservation of Hong Kong's capitalist economy and its way of life under British rule. Following the return of Hong Kong, the remaining colonial possessions were small island territories with relatively small populations, and the uninhabited Antarctic Territory. The reasons for these territories not achieving independence varied from:
In 2002 , the UK Parliament passed the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 . This reclassified the UK's dependent territories and crown colonies as ''overseas territories'' and, with the exception of those people solely connected with the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus, granted these territories' citizens full British citizenship. Current overseas territories Government Head of State The head of state in the overseas territories is the British Monarch , currently Elizabeth II Of The United Kingdom . The Queen's role in the territories is in her role as Queen of the United Kingdom, and not in right of each territory. The Queen appoints a representative in each territory to exercise her executive power. In territories with an indigenous population, a Governor is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the British Government, usually a retired senior military officer, or a senior civil servant. In territories without an indigenous population, a Commissioner is usually appointed to represent the Queen. For overseas territories with dependencies, the Governor may appoint an Administrator to represent him or her in that dependency. 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. Government All the overseas territories have their own system of government, and localised laws. The structure of the government is dependent on the size of the territory. 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. The Pitcairn Rape 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. Relations with the UK The Foreign And Commonwealth Office have the responsibility of looking after the interests of the overseas territories. The Overseas Territory Department is headed by the Foreign Office Minister for the Overseas Territories, currently the Parliamentary Under Secretary Of State David Triesman, Baron Triesman . The exception is the Sovereign Base Areas territory, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry Of Defence In 1999 , the FCO published the Partnership for Progress and Prosperity: Britain and the Overseas Territories report which set out the UK's policy for the overseas territories, covering four main areas:
The UK and the overseas territories do not have diplomatic representations, although the governments of the overseas territories with indigenous populations (except Bermuda) all retain a representative office in London . The United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association also represents the interests of the territories in London. The UK provides financial assistance to the Overseas Territories via the Department Of International Development . Currently only Montserrat and Saint Helena receive budgetary aid (ie financial contribution to recurrent funding). Several specialist funds are made available by the UK, including:
Foreign Affairs claimed by the UK as British Antarctic Territory .]] Foreign Affairs of the overseas territories are handled by the Foreign And Commonwealth Office in London . However some territories maintain diplomatic officers in nearby countries for trade and immigration purposes. Several of the Caribbean territories maintain membership of the Caribbean Community . None of the territories is a member of the Commonwealth Of Nations , although they do take part in the Commonwealth Games . See Also: Special member state territories and their relations with the EU Gibraltar is the only overseas territory that is part of the European Union (EU), although it is not part of the customs union. None of the other overseas territory are members of the EU, and EU law does not apply, although as British Citizens (mainly since the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 ), they are classed as European citizens. Despite not being formally part of the EU, the overseas territories are eligble for structural funding from the EU for regeneration projects. Several nations dispute the UK's sovereignty in the following overseas territories:
Citizenship See Also: British Overseas Territories citizen None of the overseas territories have their own nationality status, and all citizens are classed as British Overseas Territories Citizen s (BOTC). They do however, have legislative independence over immigration, and holding the status of a BOTC does not automatically give a person a right to 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 classed as a BOTC to reside in the territory that they have close links with. Non-British citizens may acquire Belonger status in order to reside in a particular territory (and may subsequently become naturalised BOTC if they wish). Historically, citizens in the British Empire held the status of ''British Subject'', which was usually lost upon independence. However changes in British nationality law in the late 20th century, saw the creation of different classifications of citizenship for the dependent territories, with most territories denied full British citizenship. This was mainly to prevent a mass exodus of the citizens of Hong Kong to the UK before the agreed handover to China in 1997 . Exceptions were made for Gibraltar , and the Falkland Islands which are both claimed by neighbouring countries. However, the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 replaced dependent territory citizenship with British Overseas Territories Citizenship , and granted full British citizenship to all BOTCs (except those from the Sovereign Base Areas Of Cyprus ). This provides the right to reside in the UK. However British citizens do not acquire an automatic right to reside in any of the overseas territories. Some territories prohibit immigration, and any visitors are required to seek the permission of the territory's government. As they are used primarily as military bases, Ascension Island and the British Indian Ocean Territory do not allow visitors to the territory unless on official business. Military 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.
Symbols and insignia Each overseas territory has been granted its own Flag and Coat Of Arms by the British monarch. Traditonally, 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 ; 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 Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia are the only British overseas territory without an official flag of their own. The Union Flag is used in this territory. Gallery of images Image:Sandy Ground Anguilla.jpg| Anguilla Image:Diego Garcia Military Base.jpg| British Indian Ocean Territory Image:IMG 0685-port-stanley.jpg| Stanley, Falkland Islands Image:Gib bay.jpg| Rock Of Gibraltar Image:View of Wideawake Airfield.jpg| Ascension Island Image:Queen Mary's Peak, Tristan.jpg| Queen Mary's Peak , Tristan Da Cunha Image:SouthGeorgiaIsland-EO.JPG| South Georgia Island Image:Callan Glen Coast - Bermuda.jpg| The Somers Isles (alias Bermuda) See also
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