Colony

Colonies (Upanivesh) are distant settlements outside a state where the people of that state reside. The term is also used for the place where people from a fully sovereign state go to live in another country.

However, the word is generally used with a narrower meaning, especially in the following cases:

(a) A settlement of people from one state living on a site outside their state's geographical boundaries but within its administrative area.

(b) An independent nation closely related to another (main) nation in terms of nationality, administration, and economic unity. For example, the first category includes colonies like those in the Baltic regions and similar ones in the Balkan Peninsula. The second category, which is more commonly used, includes English colonies in Africa or Australia.

The tendency and method of establishing or settling colonies have been varied. Initially, all colonies were independent; however, various motivations such as the desire to expand a state's territory, increase trade, accumulate wealth, reduce the burden of an increasing population, political ambition, necessity, and the need to expel violent criminals from the country have driven colonialism.

Colonialism is essentially a developed form of migrant behavior and can be considered a permanent and organized form of migration. The establishment of colonies has taken various forms in different times and regions. Phoenicians established colonies along the Mediterranean coast as centers for their motherland's trade. Various Greek communities were forced to establish colonies due to economic problems, which made them independent from their motherland except for Athens' colonies.

The Romans established small colonies of their citizens among the conquered peoples for the protection of their empire. The Indian settlements in Southeast Asia filled the region, but Hindeshia was an area that was once part of a larger India and was independent. In the 14th century and thereafter, Europe expanded beyond Asia through trade and exploration, establishing its dominance over the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.

In the 16th century, Spain established its empire in Central and South America. Portugal established its base in Brazil, Western coastal regions of India, and the eastern archipelagos rich in spices. Following their example, France, England, and Holland established colonies in North America and the western islands and trading centers along the coast of Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.

Denmark and Sweden also followed suit but the main colonial powers were England, France, and Holland. Their empires had "no sunset" and they dominated most parts of Asia and Africa, which are considered the cradle of human civilization.