Decolonisation of Asia

Template:Short description Template:Use British English The decolonisation of Asia was the gradual growth of independence movements in Asia, leading ultimately to the retreat of foreign powers and the creation of several nation-states in the region.

Background

The decline of Spain and Portugal in the 17th century paved the way for other European powers, namely the Netherlands, France and England. Portugal would lose influence in all but three of its colonies, Portuguese India, Macau and Timor.

By the end of the 17th century, the Dutch had taken over much of the old Portuguese colonies, and had established a strong presence in present-day Indonesia, with colonies in Aceh, Bantam, Makassar and Jakarta. The Dutch also had trade links with Siam, Japan, China and Bengal.

The British had competed with Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch for their interests in Asia since the early 17th century and by the mid-19th century held much of India (via the British East India Company), as well as Burma, Ceylon, Malaya and Singapore. After The Indian Rebellion of 1857, Queen Victoria was declared Empress of India, thus solidifying the British rule on the subcontinent. The last British acquisition in Asia was the New Territories of Hong Kong, which was leased from the Qing emperor in 1897, expanding the British colony originally ceded in the Treaty of Nanking in 1842.

The French had little success in India following defeats against the British in the 17th century, though they held onto possessions on the east coast of India (such as Pondicherry and Mahar) until decolonisation. The French established their most lucrative and substantial colony in Indochina in 1862, eventually occupying the present-day areas of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia by 1887.

Japan's first colony was the island of Taiwan, occupied in 1874 and officially ceded by the Qing emperor in 1894. Japan continued its early imperialism with the annexation of Korea in 1910.

The United States entered the region in 1898 during the Spanish–American War, taking the Philippines as its sole colony after a mock battle in the capital and the later formal acquisition of the Philippines from Spain through the 1898 Treaty of Paris.

Asian colonies from the 17th century to the end of World War II

The following list shows the colonial powers following the end of World War II in 1945, their colonial or administrative possessions and the date of decolonization.

• Template:Flagdeco/Template:Flagdeco/Template:Flagdeco/China:
  • Tibet (1912)
  • Template:Flagdeco Jiangxi Soviet (1931)
  • Template:Flagdeco Fujian (1933)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1924/1946)
  • (1949)
• France:
  • North Vietnam (1945)
  • Lebanon (1946)
  • Syria (1946)
  • Template:Flagdeco Cambodia (1953)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1953)
  • Template:Flagdeco French India (1954)
  • South Vietnam (1948)
• Indonesia
  • Template:Country data East Timor (1999/2002)
• Japan:
  • Template:Flagdeco Manchuria (Manchukuo), Northern China (1945/1946)
  • Template:Country data Second Philippine Republic (1945/1946)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1945/1948)
  • North Korea (1945/1948)
  • South Korea (1945/1948)
  • Template:Flagdeco Taiwan and Penghu (1945/1952)
• Malaysia
  • Singapore (1965)
• Netherlands:
  • Taiwan (1642)
  • Template:Flagdeco Dutch Malacca (1825)
  • Indonesia (1945/1949)
  • Template:Flagdeco Dutch New Guinea (1962)
• Portugal:
  • Template:Flagdeco Portuguese India (1961)
  • Template:Country data East Timor (1975/2002)
  • Macau (1999)
• Soviet Union (Russian Empire prior to 1917/1922)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1924)
  • Template:Flagdeco Manchuria (Manchukuo), Northern China (1946)
  • North Korea (1948)
  • Kyrgyzstan (1991)
  • Uzbekistan (1991)
  • Tajikistan (1991)
  • Turkmenistan (1991)
  • Kazakhstan (1991)
• Spain:
  • Taiwan (1662)
  • Template:Country data Revolutionary Government of the Philippines (1898)
• Turkey
  • Template:Flagcountry (later became the North Yemen in 1962) (1918)
• United Kingdom:
  • Template:Flagcountry (1919)
  • Bangladesh (1947) (1971)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1922)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1932)
  • Jordan (1946)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1947)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1947)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1948)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1948)
  • Israel (1948)
  • Malaya (1957)
  • Cyprus (1960)
  • Kuwait (1961)
  • Template:Flagdeco Sabah (North Borneo) (1963)
  • Template:Flagdeco Sarawak (1963)
  • Maldives (1965)
  • Singapore (1965)
  • South Yemen (1967)
  • Oman (1970)
  • Bahrain (1971)
  • Qatar (1971)
  • United Arab Emirates (1971)
  • Brunei (1984)
  • Hong Kong (1997)
• United States:
  • Template:Flagcountry (1946)
  • Marshall Islands (1986)
  • Federated States of Micronesia (1986)
  • Palau (1994)

Individual countries

Country	Date of acquisition of sovereignty	Acquisition of sovereignty
Template:Flagicon/Afghanistan	1919	Treaty of Rawalpindi ends British control of foreign policy
Bahrain	Template:Dts	End of treaties with the United Kingdom
Bangladesh	Template:Dts	Independence from Pakistan declared
Bhutan	Template:Dts	Ugyen Wangchuck ends a period of civil war and unites Bhutan
Brunei	Template:Dts	Brunei regains its independence after an agreement with the British on 4 January 1979
Cambodia	Template:Dts	France grants Cambodia independence
	Template:Dts	Becomes free from Vietnamese occupation; it gets back its name instead of the People's Republic of Kampuchea
Template:Flagdeco Taiwan	Template:Dts	On the first day of January 1912 The Republic of China unilaterally declared their independence.
Template:Flagdeco China	Template:Dts	On the 1st of October 1949 the Chinese Communist Party wins against the Kuomintang which then retreats to the island of Taiwan.
India	Template:Dts	Independence from the British Empire
Indonesia	Template:Dts	Independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands following their unilateral Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945 and subsequent Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference in The Hague.
Iran	Template:Dts	After the fall of Assyria between 616 BC and 609 BC, a unified Median state was formed, which together with Babylonia, Lydia, and ancient Egypt became one of the four major powers of the ancient Near East.
Iraq	Template:Dts	The Abbasid Caliphate built the city of Baghdad along the Tigris in the 8th century as its capital, and the city became the leading metropolis of the Arab and Muslim world for five centuries
	Template:Dts	Kingdom of Iraq
Israel	Template:Dts	Upon the end of the British Mandate, Jews declared independence, forming the State of Israel; the remainder of Palestine came under control of Egypt (Gaza Strip) and Transjordan (West Bank)
Japan	4th century CE	During the subsequent Kofun period, most of Japan gradually unified under a single kingdom
Jordan	Template:Dts	End of the British Mandate for Palestine
Kuwait	Template:Dts	Establishment of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan	Template:Dts	Independence from the Soviet Union
Laos	Template:Dts	Independence from France
Lebanon	Template:Dts	Independence from France declared
	Template:Dts	Independence from France recognised
Malaysia	Template:Dts	Malayan independence from the United Kingdom was declared in Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square)
	Template:Dts	Malaysia was formed by the federation of North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya.
Maldives	Template:Dts	Independence from the United Kingdom
Mongolia	Template:Dts	Mongol Empire formed
	Template:Dts	Proclamation of Mongolian independence from Manchu's Qing dynasty
Myanmar	Template:Dts	Myanmar (Burma) declares independence from the British Empire
Nepal	Template:Dts	Nepali unification
Oman	Template:Dts	Expulsion of the Portuguese Army from Oman
Pakistan	Template:Dts	Independence from British India in the Partition
Palestine	Template:Dts	Palestinian Declaration of Independence
Philippines	Template:Dts	The evolving revolutionary movement in Philippine revolutionaries declared independence from the Spanish Empire but sovereignty remained with Spain, which ceded the country to the United States.
	Template:Dts	The United States recognises independence under the provisions of the Treaty of Manila (1946). The 1935 Constitution remained in effect until 1973, when the Marcos regime promulgated a newer one, replaced in turn by the present 1987 Constitution.
Qatar	Template:Dts	Independence from the Ottoman Empire
Saudi Arabia	Template:Dts	Establishment of the First Saudi State
Singapore	Template:Dts	Self-government under the United Kingdom
	Template:Dts	Malaysia unilaterally expels Singapore from the federation of Malaysian states, creating an independent Singaporean state
Sri Lanka	Template:Dts	Independence from the United Kingdom
Syria	Template:Dts	End of the United Arab Republic
Tajikistan	Template:Dts	Independence from the Soviet Union
Thailand	Template:Dts	King Taksin the Great reunifies Thailand, establishing a new kingdom and repelling Burmese invasions
Timor-Leste	Template:Dts	East Timor declares its independence but was occupied by Indonesia
	Template:Dts	Independence was recognised by the international community following the UN-sponsored act of self-determination of 1999
Turkmenistan	Template:Dts	Independence from the Soviet Union
United Arab Emirates	Template:Dts	End of a treaty relationship with the United Kingdom
Uzbekistan	Template:Dts	Independence from the Soviet Union declared
Vietnam	Template:Dts	Hùng king established Van Lang, the first kingdom of Vietnam
Yemen	Template:Dts	Independence of North Yemen from the Turkish Empire
	Template:Dts	Independence of South Yemen from the United Kingdom

Notes

Burma

Burma was almost completely occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. Many Burmese fought alongside Japan in the initial stages of the war, though the Burmese Army and most Burmese switched sides in 1945.

A transitional government sponsored by the British government was formed in the years following the Second World War, ultimately leading to Burma's independence in January 1948.

Cambodia

Following the capitulation of France and the formation of the Vichy regime, France's Indochinese possessions were given to Japan. While there was some argument that Indochina should not be returned to France, particularly from the United States, Cambodia nevertheless remained under French rule after the end of hostilities.

France had placed Norodom Sihanouk on the throne in 1941 and was hoping for a puppet monarch. They were mistaken. However, the King led the way to Cambodian independence in 1953, taking advantage of the background of the First Indochina War being fought in Vietnam.

Ceylon

Ceylon was an important base of operations for the Western Allies during the Second World War. The British gave in to popular pressure for independence and in February 1948, the country won its independence as the Dominion of Ceylon.

China

For some clarification and more detail including the sovereignty status of the Republic of China, see the following articles: History of China, Cross-Strait relations, One-China policy and Political status of Taiwan. Hong Kong was returned to the United Kingdom following its occupation by the Japanese during the Second World War. It was controlled directly by a British governor until the expiry of the ninety-nine-year lease of the New Territories, which occurred in 1997. From that date, the territory was returned to People's Republic of China and controlled as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.

Philippines

Philippine revolutionaries unilaterraly declared independence from Spain in 1898, during the Spanish–American War, but sovereignty remained with Spain. Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris that concluded that war. In 1899, Philippine revolutionaries established the insurgent First Philippine Republic. Shortly thereafter, the Philippine–American War began, ending in 1901 with a U.S. victory, though isolated fighting continued for several years thereafter.

In 1902, the Philippines became a U.S. territory with the passage of the Philippine Organic Act, later becoming a U.S. Commonwealth in 1936. It was occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War. In 1943, with Japan granting it a short-lived nominal independence. In 1944, the Allied invasion of the Philippines by combined U.S. and Filipino troops began, which resulted in Americans and Filipinos regaining full control of the nation. In 1946, the United States recognised Philippine independence in the 1946 Treaty of Manila.

Timeline

The "colonial power" and "colonial name" columns are merged when required to denote territories, where current countries are established, that have not been decolonised but achieved independence in different ways.

Country/ regionTemplate:Efn	Colonial name	Colonial powerTemplate:Efn	Independence declared and/or achievedTemplate:Efn	First head of stateTemplate:Efn	Independence won through
Philippines	Spanish East Indies	Spain	Template:Dts declared	Emilio Aguinaldo	Philippine Revolution Template:Efn
	Philippines	Empire of Japan United States	Template:Dts	Manuel Roxas	World War II
	Republic of the Philippines	United States	Template:Dts achieved	Manuel Roxas	Treaty of Manila (1946)
YemenTemplate:Efn	Template:Country data Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen	Ottoman Empire	Template:Dts	Yahya I	World War I
	Colony and Protectorate of Aden	British Empire	Template:Dts	Qahtan Mohammed al-Shaabi	Aden Emergency
Afghanistan	Template:Country data Emirate of Afghanistan	British Empire	Template:Dts	Amanullah Khan	Third Anglo-Afghan War
EgyptTemplate:Efn	Sultanate of Egypt		Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	Fuad ITemplate:Efn	Egyptian revolution of 1919
Iraq	Mandatory Iraq		Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	Faisal I of Iraq	-Template:Efn
Lebanon	Template:Country data Greater Lebanon	France	Template:Dts	Bechara El KhouryTemplate:Efn	–
Syria	Mandate of Syria		Template:Dts	Shukri al-Quwatli	Syrian Revolution
IndonesiaTemplate:Efn	Dutch East Indies	Netherlands	Template:Dts	Template:Dts | Sukarno	Indonesian National Revolution
	Empire of Japan	Japan	Template:DtsTemplate:Efn
VietnamTemplate:Efn	French Indochina Empire of Japan	France Japan	Template:Dts	Hồ Chí Minh	August Revolution
Jordan	Template:Flagdeco Emirate of Transjordan	British Empire	Template:Dts	Abdullah I
PakistanTemplate:Efn	Template:Flagcountry	British Empire	Template:Dts	Liaquat Ali KhanTemplate:Efn	-Template:Efn
Bangladesh as part of Pakistan			Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	Liaquat Ali KhanTemplate:Efn
IndiaTemplate:Efn			15 August 1947Template:Efn	Jawaharlal NehruTemplate:Efn	Indian independence movement
MyanmarTemplate:Efn	Japan		Template:Dts	U Nu
	Template:Country data British Burma		Template:Dts
Sri LankaTemplate:Efn	British Ceylon		Template:Dts	Don Senanayake	-
			Template:Dts
Israel	Template:Country data Mandatory Palestine	British Empire Arab League	Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	David Ben-GurionTemplate:Efn	1948 Palestine war
South VietnamTemplate:Efn	French Indochina	France	Template:Dts	Ngo Dinh Diem	1955 State of Vietnam referendum
			Template:Dts
South Korea	Japanese Korea	Empire of Japan	Template:Dts	Syngman RheeTemplate:Efn	Korean independence movement
			Template:DtsTemplate:Efn
North Korea			Template:Dts	Kim Il SungTemplate:Efn
			Template:DtsTemplate:Efn
ChinaTemplate:Efn	Manchukuo		Template:Dts	Chiang kai shekTemplate:Efn	Second Sino-Japanese War
	Template:Flagicon Nationalist government on Mainland China	Template:Country data Republic of China (1912–1949)	Template:DtsTemplate:Efn		Chinese Civil War
Taiwan and PenghuTemplate:Efn	Template:Flagdeco Taiwan	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Dts	Chen Yi	Second Sino-Japanese War
			Template:DtsTemplate:Efn
			28 April 1952Template:Efn
LaosTemplate:Efn	French Indochina	France	Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	Sisavang VongTemplate:Efn	-Template:Efn
Cambodia			Template:Dts	Norodom Sihanouk
Malaysia	Malaya Colony of North Borneo Colony of Sarawak	British Empire	Template:Dts	Tuanku Abdul Rahman	Malayan EmergencyTemplate:Efn
			16 September 1963
Cyprus	British Cyprus		Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	Makarios III	-Template:Efn
Kuwait	Sheikhdom of Kuwait		Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah	–
Oman	Template:Country data Muscat and OmanTemplate:Efn		9 August 1970	Qaboos bin Said	Night attack on Muscat -Template:Efn
Singapore	Straits Settlements		Template:Dts	Yusof Ishak	–
			9 August 1965Template:Efn
Maldives	Maldives		Template:Dts	Muhammad Fareed Didi	–
Qatar	Qatar		Template:Dts	Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani	–
United Arab Emirates	Template:Country data Trucial States		Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan	–
Bahrain	Bahrain		Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	Isa ibn Salman Al KhalifaTemplate:Efn	-Template:Efn
Template:Country data East Timor	Dutch East Indies	Dutch East Indies German Empire			Under colonial occupation.Template:Efn
	Portuguese Timor	Portugal United Kingdom
	Empire of Japan	Japan
	Portuguese Timor	Portugal	28 November 1975Template:Efn	Francisco Xavier do Amaral Xanana Gusmão
	Template:Country data Timor Timur	Indonesia	Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	Xanana Gusmão
	United Nations	Template:Flagicon East Timor	Template:Dts		UNTAET; 1999 East Timorese crisis
Brunei	Brunei	British Empire	Template:Dts	Hassanal Bolkiah	-Template:Efn
Hong Kong	Template:Country data British Hong Kong		1 July 1997Template:Efn	Tung Chee-hwa	–
Macau	Template:Country data Portuguese Macau	Portugal	Template:DtsTemplate:Efn	Edmund Ho	–
PalestineTemplate:EfnTemplate:EfnTemplate:Efn	Template:Country data Mandatory Palestine West Bank	British Empire Arab League Jordan	14 May 1948 10 June 1967; Template:Dts;Template:Efn independence pending due to territorial dispute with Israel	N/A; Yasser Arafat; Mahmoud Abbas	Six-Day War; Egypt–Israel peace treaty; Jordanian disengagement from the West Bank; Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Soviet Union

The 9 states may be divided into the following five regional categories. The distinguishing traits of each region result from geographic and cultural factors as well as their respective historical relations with Russia. Not included in these categories are the several de facto independent states presently lacking international recognition (read below: Separatist conflicts).

Region	Country name	First flag	Current flag	Capital	Independence
Asia	Russia (Russian Federation)	Template:Flagdeco	Template:Flagdeco	Moscow	12 December 1991
Central Asia	Uzbekistan (Republic of Uzbekistan)	Template:Flagdeco		Tashkent	31 August 1991
	Kazakhstan (Republic of Kazakhstan)	Template:Flagdeco	Template:Flagdeco	Nur-Sultan	16 December 1991
	Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz Republic)	Template:Flagdeco	Template:Flagdeco	Bishkek	31 August 1991
	Tajikistan (Republic of Tajikistan)	Template:Flagdeco	Template:Flagdeco	Dushanbe	9 September 1991
	Turkmenistan	Template:Flagdeco	Template:Flagdeco	Ashgabat	27 October 1991
Transcaucasia	Georgia (formerly the Republic of Georgia)	Template:Flagdeco	Template:Flagdeco	Tbilisi	9 April 1991
	Azerbaijan (Republic of Azerbaijan)	Template:Flagdeco		Baku	30 August 1991
	Armenia (Republic of Armenia)	Template:Flagdeco		Yerevan	21 September 1991
Total former Soviet Union

British colonies, protectorates and mandates

Country	Pre-independence name (different)	Date	Year of independence or first stage	Notes
Afghanistan	Northern Persia		1919	Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919
Bahrain			1971
Brunei			1984
Cyprus			1960	Cyprus Independence Day is commonly celebrated on 1 October.
Egypt			1922	Control over the Suez Canal Zone was maintained until 1952.
India	British India		1947	Independence Day (India)
Iraq			1932
Israel	Mandatory Palestine		1948	End of British mandate Independence Day (Israel) Palestine declared independence from Israel on 15 November 1988.
Jordan	Transjordan		1946
Kuwait			1961
Malaysia	Four parts: Malaya North Borneo Singapore Sarawak		1957	As the Federation of Malaya (Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957). North Borneo (now Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore gained full independence and joined Malaysia on 16 September 1963 under the Malaysia Agreement (Malaysia Act 1963). Singapore gained independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965.
Maldives			1965
Mauritius			1968
Myanmar	British Burma		1948	Gained independence as Burma. Renamed Myanmar in 1989, but still officially known by the United Kingdom government as Burma.
Oman	Sultanate of Muscat and Oman		1951
Pakistan	British India		1947	Partition of India Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan on 26 March 1971.
Qatar	British Qatari Protectorate		1971
Seychelles			1976
Singapore			1959	Became self-governing on 3 June 1959 and gained independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965.
Sri Lanka	Ceylon		1948	Gained independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. Renamed Sri Lanka in 1972.
United Arab Emirates	Trucial States		1971	National Day (United Arab Emirates)
Yemen	Protectorate of South Arabia Federation of South Arabia		1967	South Yemen 1967

List of European colonies in Asia

British colonies in South Asia, East Asia, And Southeast Asia:

• Template:Flagicon British Burma (1824–1948, merged with India by the British from 1886 to 1937)
• Template:Flagicon British Ceylon (1833-1948, now Sri Lanka)
• Template:Flagicon British Hong Kong (1842–1997)
• Template:Flagicon Colonial India (includes the territory of present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh)

Template:Flagicon Danish India (1696–1869)

Template:Flagicon Swedish Parangipettai (1733)

Template:Flagicon British India (1613–1947)

Template:Flagicon British East India Company (1757–1858)

Template:Flagicon British Raj (1858–1947)

French colonies in South and Southeast Asia:

• Template:Flagicon French India (1769–1954)
• Template:Flagicon French Indochina (1887–1953), including:

• French Cambodia (1863–1953)
• French Laos (1893–1953)
• French Cochinchine, Annam and Tonkin (1862–1949, now Vietnam)
• Guangzhouwan (1898–1945)

Dutch, British, Portuguese colonies and Russian territories in Asia:

• Template:Flagicon Dutch India (1605–1825)
• Dutch Bengal
• Dutch Ceylon (1656–1796)
• Template:Flagicon Portuguese Ceylon (1505–1658)
• Template:Flagicon Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) – Dutch colony from 1800 to 1949 (included Netherlands New Guinea until 1962)
• Template:Flagicon Portuguese India (1510–1961)
• Portuguese Macau – Portuguese colony, the first European colony in China (1557–1999)
• Template:Flagicon Portuguese Timor (1702–1975, now East Timor)
• Template:Flagicon Malaya (now part of Malaysia):

Template:Flagicon Portuguese Malacca (1511–1641)

Template:Flagicon Dutch Malacca (1641–1824)

Template:Flagicon British Malaya, included:

• Straits Settlements (1826–1946)
• Federated Malay States (1895–1946)
• Unfederated Malay States (1885–1946)

Template:Flagicon Federation of Malaya (under British rule, 1948–1963)

• Template:Flagicon British Borneo (now part of Malaysia), including:

• Labuan (1848–1946)h
• North Borneo (1882–1941)

• Crown Colony of North Borneo (1946–1963)

• Crown Colony of Sarawak (1946–1963)

• Brunei

• Template:Flagicon British Brunei (1888–1984) (British protectorate)

• Template:Flagicon Outer Manchuria – ceded to Russian Empire through Treaty of Aigun (1858) and Treaty of Peking (1860)
• Philippines:

Template:Flagicon Spanish Philippines (1565–1898, 3rd longest European colony in Asia, 333 years),

• Template:Flagicon Singapore – British colony (1819–1959)
• Template:Flagicon Insular Government of the Philippine Islands - U.S. colony (1902-1946)
• Taiwan:

Template:Flagicon Spanish Formosa (1626–1642)

Dutch Formosa (1624–1662)

• Bahrain

• Template:Flagicon Portuguese Bahrain (1521–1602)
• British Protectorate (1861–1971)

• Iraq

• Mandatory Iraq (1920–1932) (British protectorate)
• Kingdom of Iraq (1932–1958)

• Israel and Palestine

• Template:Flagicon Mandatory Palestine (1920–1948) (British Mandate)

• Jordan

• Emirate of Transjordan (1921–1946) (British protectorate)

• Kuwait

• Sheikhdom of Kuwait (1899–1961) (British protectorate)

• Lebanon and Syria

• Template:Flagicon French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (1923–1946)

• Oman

• Template:Flagicon Portuguese Oman (1507–1650)
• Muscat and Oman (1892–1971) (British protectorate)

• Qatar

• Template:Flagicon British protectorate of Qatar (1916–1971)

• United Arab Emirates

• Trucial States (1820–1971) (British protectorate)

• Yemen

• Template:Flagicon Aden Protectorate (1869–1963)
• Template:Flagicon Colony of Aden (1937–1963)
• Federation of South Arabia (1962–1967)
• Template:Flagicon Protectorate of South Arabia (1963–1967)

Independent states

• Afghanistan – founded by the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 of the United Kingdom and declared independence in 1919

• Emirate of Afghanistan (1879–1919) (British protectorate)

• Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon China – independent, but within European cultures of influence which were largely limited to the colonised ports except for Manchuria.

• Concessions in China
• Shanghai International Settlement (1863–1941)
• Shanghai French Concession (1849–1943)
• Concessions in Tianjin (1860–1947)

• Template:Flagicon Bhutan – in British sphere of influence
• Iran – in the Russian sphere of influence in the north and British in the south
• Template:Flagicon Japan – a Great power that had its own colonial empire (including Korea and Taiwan)
• Mongolia – in the Russian sphere of influence and later Soviet controlled
• Template:Flagicon Nepal – in British sphere of influence
• Template:Flagicon Saudi Arabia - most of Saudi Arabia has always been independent, including the Sharifate of Mecca in Hejaz which was under the Ottomans but with a dual system of government shared between the Sharif and the Ottoman Wali or governor.
• Template:Flagicon Thailand – the only independent state in Southeast Asia, but bordered by a British sphere of influence in the north and south and French influence in the northeast and east
• Template:Flagicon Turkey – successor to the Ottoman Empire in 1923; the Ottoman Empire itself could be considered a colonial empire

Asian colonies from the 17th century to the end of the Second World War (Japanese)

The following list shows the colonial powers following the end of World War II in 1945, their colonial or administrative possessions and the date of decolonisation.

• Japan:
  • Template:Flagdeco Manchuria (Manchukuo), Northern China (1945/1946)
  • Philippines (1945/1946)
  • Template:Flagcountry (1945/1948)
  • North Korea (1945/1948)
  • South Korea (1945/1948)
  • Taiwan (1945/1949)
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore (1965)
  • Taiwan (1642)
  • Indonesia (1945/1949)
  • Template:Flagdeco Netherlands New Guinea (1962)

Territory	Date	Notes
South Sakhalin	1905–1945
Mainland China	1931–1945	Manchukuo 50 million (1940), Jehol, Kwantung Leased Territory, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, plus parts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Guizhou, Inner Mongolia
Japan	Prewar–1945	Present day Japan, Kuril and Ryukyu Islands
Korea	1910–1945	Both North and South
Taiwan	1895–1945
Hong Kong	25 December 1941 – 30 August 1945	Hong Kong (UK)
:: East Asia (subtotal)	–
Vietnam	September 1940 – August 1945	As French Indochina (FR)
Cambodia	August 1941 – August 1945	As French Indochina, Japanese occupation of Cambodia
Laos	September 1940 - August 1945	As French Indochina, Japanese occupation of Laos
Thailand	8 December 1941 – 15 August 1945	Independent State but Allied with Japan
Malaysia	8 December 1941 - 2 September 1945 (Malaya), 16 December 1941 – 12 September 1945 (Sarawak, Brunei, Labuan, North Borneo)	As Malaya (UK), British Borneo (UK), Brunei (UK)
Philippines	8 May 1942 – 2 September 1945	Philippines (US)
Dutch East Indies	March 1942 - September 1945	Dutch East Indies (NL)
Singapore	15 February 1942 – 9 September 1945	Singapore (UK)
Myanmar	28 May 1942 – 1945	Burma (UK)
East Timor	19 February 1942 – 11 September 1945	Portuguese Timor (PT)
:: Southeast Asia (subtotal)	–
New Guinea	December 1941 – September 1945	As New Guinea (AU)
Guam	10 December 1941 – 10 August 1944	From Guam (US)
South Seas Mandate	1919–1945	From Germany
Nauru	26 August 1942 – 13 September 1945	From Nauru (AU, UK, NZ)
Wake Island, US	23 December 1941 – 4 September 1945	US
Kiribati	December 1941 – 1945	From Gilbert Islands (UK)
:: Pacific Islands (subtotal)	–

Disclaimer: Not all areas were considered part of Imperial Japan but rather part of puppet states & sphere of influence, allies, included separately for demographic purposes. Sources: POPULSTAT Asia Oceania

Other occupied World War 2 islands:

• Andaman Islands (India) – 29 March 1942 – 9 September 1945
• Christmas Island (Australia) – March 1942 – October 1945

Areas attacked but not conquered

• Kohima and Manipur (India)
• Dornod (Khalkhin Gol, Mongolia)
• Midway Atoll (United States)

Raided without immediate intent of occupation

• Air raids
  • Pearl Harbor (Hawaii, United States)
  • Colombo and Trincomalee (Sri Lanka)
  • Air raids on Australia, including:
    • Broome (Western Australia, Australia)
    • Darwin (Northern Territory, Australia)
    • Townsville (Queensland, Australia)
  • Dutch Harbor (Alaska, United States)
  • Lookout Air Raids (Oregon, United States)
• Naval bombardment by submarine
  • British Columbia (Canada)
  • Santa Barbara (California, United States)
  • Fort Stevens (Oregon, United States)
  • Newcastle (New South Wales, Australia)
  • Gregory (Western Australia, Australia)
• Midget sub attack
  • Sydney (New South Wales, Australia)
  • Diego Suarez (Madagascar)

Asia Territorial evolution of the British Empire

Name of territory	Dates	Status	Comments
Aden	1839	Colony subordinate to Bombay Presidency British India
	1932	Separate province of British India
	1937	Separate Crown colony
	1963	Part of Federation of South Arabia
Afghanistan	1839–1842	Protectorate
	1879	Protectorate
	1919	Independence
Assam	1874–1905	Province of British India
	1905–1912	Incorporated into the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam
	1912–1947	Province of British India	Now a state of the Republic of India
Bahrain	1880	Protectorate
	1961–1971	Autonomous
	1971	Independence	Invited to join the Trucial States, but declined
Baluchistan	1877–1896	Province
	1896–1947	Province of British India
	1947	Part of Pakistan	Now part of Balochistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, in Pakistan
Bantam	1603–1609	Station
	1609–1617	Factory
	1617–1621	Presidency
	1621	Expelled by the Dutch
	1630–1634	Subordinated to Surat
	1634–1652	Presidency
	1652–1682	Subordinated to Surat
	1682	Expelled by the Dutch	Now in Indonesia
Bencoolen ("Fort York", later "Fort Marlborough")	1685–1760	Coastal settlements of southwestern Sumatra, subordinated to Madras
	1760–1785	Presidency
	1785–1825	Subordinated to Bengal Presidency
	1825	Part of Dutch East Indies	Now Bengkulu, in Indonesia
Bengal ("Fort William")	1634–1658	Factories
	1658–1681	Subordinated to Madras
	1681–82	Agency
	1682–1694	Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements
	1694–1698	Subordinated to Madras
	1698–1700	Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements
	1700–1774	Presidency
	1774–1905	Presidency of British India
	1905–1912	Partitioned between [West] Bengal and Eastern Bengal and Assam
	1912–1937	Presidency of British India
	1937–1947	Province of British India
	1947	Divided between India (West Bengal) and Pakistan (East Bengal)	Now Bangladesh, and part of West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand, in India
Brunei	1888	Protectorate
	1967	Protected state
	1984	Independence
Burma (now called Myanmar)	1824–1852	Arakan, Tenasserim
	1852–1886	Lower Burma
	1885–1886	Upper Burma
	1886	Lower and Upper Burma United as a province of British India
	1937	Separate Crown Colony
	1948	Independence	Name changed to Myanmar after a military junta in 1989.
Eastern Bengal and Assam	1905–1912	Province of British India	Established upon the partition of Bengal (1905)
	1912	Partition reversed	Split between the re-established province of Assam and the re-constituted presidency of Bengal
Ceylon	1795	Ceded by the Dutch and subordinated to the Madras presidency of British India
	1798	Separate Crown colony
	1948	Independence	Now the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Dansborg	1801–02	Occupied
	1808–1815	Occupied
	1845	purchased and incorporated into British India	Now in Tamil Nadu state, India
Frederiksnagore	1801–02	Occupied
	1808–1815	Occupied
	1845	Purchased and incorporated into British India	Now in West Bengal state, India
Hong Kong	1841	Hong Kong Island occupied
	1843–1982	Crown colony
	1860	Kowloon and Stonecutters Island ceded by China
	1898	New Territories leased from China for 99 years
	1942–1945	Occupied by Japan
	1945–1946	Military administration
	1983–1997	Dependent territory
	1997	Handover to China as a special administrative region
Kuwait	1899	Protectorate
	1961	Independence
Indian Empire (British Raj)	1613	Company rule in India
	1858	Crown rule over the Indian Princely states, the Presidencies and provinces of British India
	1947	Independent as India & Pakistan after partition
Mandatory Iraq	1920–1932	League of Nations mandate never passed, replaced by Anglo-Iraqi treaty with the Kingdom of Iraq
Java	1811–1816	Territory of the East India Company	restored to the Netherlands
Malaya	1824	Transferred following Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824
	1824–1867	Territory of British East India Company
	1867–1946	Straits Settlements, Crown colony
	1895–1946	Federated Malay States, protectorate
	1885–1946	Johor, protectorate (part of Unfederated Malay States)
	1909–1946	Kedah, protectorate (part of Unfederated Malay States)
	1909–1946	Kelantan, protectorate (part of Unfederated Malay States)
	1909–1946	Perlis, protectorate (part of Unfederated Malay States)
	1909–1946	Terengganu, protectorate (part of Unfederated Malay States)
	1942–1945	Japanese occupation
	1945–1946	Military Administration
	1946–1948	Malayan Union
	1948–1957	Federation of Malaya
	1957–1963	Independent state
	1963	Annex North Borneo and Sarawak forming the renamed federation of Malaysia
North Borneo	1882–1946	Protectorate
	1945–1946	Military administration	Labuan to British N. Borneo on 15 July 1946
	1946–1963	Crown colony	Labuan to British N. Borneo on 15 July 1946
	1963	Self-government
	1963	Annexed by Malaya into Malaysia
Palestine	1920	Mandate
	1948	British sovereignty relinquished; the proposed partition between a Jewish and an Arab state never fully materialised; the Jewish state – Israel – was established immediately after British withdrawal, with the short-lived All-Palestine government following six months later
	1949	Two sections of the former Palestine Mandate outside Israel – the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – were occupied by Jordan and Egypt respectively following the collapse of the All-Palestine government
	1956	Gaza Strip briefly falls under Israeli occupation during the Suez Crisis
	1967	West Bank and Gaza Strip fall under Israeli occupation as a consequence of the Six-day War
	1993	A Palestinian National Authority is declared in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; most matters regarding the day-to-day governance of these territories fell under its jurisdiction, in anticipation of a future Palestinian state
	2005	Israel formally withdraws from the Gaza Strip, placing it under full PNA control; despite this, Gazan waters are still under Israeli military control
Pulo Condore Island (Côn Đảo)	1702	Possession of British East India Company
	1705	Abandoned	Now Côn Đảo, in Vietnam
Sarawak	1888–1946	Protected States
	1945–1946	Military administration
	1946–1963	Crown colony
	1963	Self-government
	1963	Annexed by Malaya into Malaysia
Straits Settlements	1826–1858	Possession under British East India Company
	1858–1867	Subordinated to British India
	1867–1946	Crown colony
	1942–1945	Occupied by Japan
	1946	Dissolved	Now divided between Malacca and Penang, in Malaysia, and Singapore
Qatar	1916–1971	Protectorate
	1971	Independence	Invited to join the Trucial States, but declined
Surat	1612–1658	Factory
	1658–1668	Presidency
	1668–1685	Possession under British East India Company
	1685–1703	Subordinated to Bombay
	1703	Incorporated into Bombay	Now in India
Singapore	1824	Purchased
	1824	Part of Straits Settlements (as residency of the Presidency of Bengal)
	1867–1946	Part of Straits Settlements (crown colony)
	1946–1955	Crown colony
	1955–1959	self-governing colony
	1959–1963	State of Singapore
	1963–1965	Part of Malaysia
	1965	Independence
Transjordan	1920	Part of Palestine Mandate
	1923	Formally separated from Palestine
	1928	Emirate independent, except for military and financial control
	1946	Formal independence	Now known as Jordan
Trucial States	1892	Protectorate
	1971	Formation of Federation of Arab Emirates	Now part of the United Arab Emirates
Weihaiwei	1898–1930	Leased from China
	1930	Returned to the Republic of China	Now part of the People's Republic of China
West Bengal ("Bengal")	1905–1912	Province of British India	Established by the partition of Bengal. Abolished with the reversal of the partition and the creation of the new province of Bihar and Orissa.

Territorial evolution of the French Empire in Asia

• French Indochina
  • French Indochinese Union (1887–1954)
    • Laos (protectorate) (1893–1953)
    • Cambodia (protectorate) (1863–1953)
    • Vietnam
      • Cochinchina (Southern Vietnam) (1858–1949)
      • Annam (protectorate) (Central Vietnam) (1883–1949)
      • Tonkin (protectorate) (Northern Vietnam) (1884–1949)
      • State of Vietnam (1949–1954)
      • Democratic Republic of Vietnam
      • Spratly Islands (1933–1939)
      • Paracel Islands (1933–1939)
    • Some territories on the eastern of Thailand. Thailand has lost 3 territories in total in the past 15 years, for example:
      • Chanthaburi Province (1893–1905)
      • Trat Province (1904–1907)
      • Dan Sai District (in the area of the Loei Province: 1903–1907)
• India and Sri Lanka
  • French India
    • French Establishments of India, composed of Pondichéry (1765–1954); Karikal (1725–1954); Mahé (1721–1954) Yanaon (1723–1954); Chandernagor (1673–1952)
• Taiwan
  • The city/port of Keelung (1884–1885)
  • Pescadores Islands (1885)
• Basilan (1845)
• China
  • The territory of Kouang-Tchéou-Wan (a dependency of French Indochina) (1898–1945)
  • The foreign concessions: French Concession of Shanghai (1849–1946), Tianjin (1860–1946) and Hankou (1898–1946)
  • The spheres of French influence officially recognised by China in the provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan, Guangdong
  • Shamian Island (1859–1949) (a fifth of the island)
• Palestine
• Syria or French Syria (1920–1946) (French Mandate of Syria)
  • Alawite State (1920–1936)
  • State of Aleppo (1920–1924)
  • State of Jabal Druze (1921–1936)
  • State of Damascus (1920–1924)
  • Sanjak of Alexandretta (now part of Turkey)
  • State of Greater Lebanon (now it is Lebanon) (1920–1946)
• Lebanon or French Lebanon (1920–1946) (French Mandate of Lebanon)
  • Mount Lebanon (An international protocol fixes the autonomy of the mount Lebanon under the protection of France.)
• Yemen
  • Cheikh Saïd (Some French atlases and history books claimed the territory was French, but France never occupied it and never claimed jurisdiction or sovereignty over the territory, which therefore was never French, remaining under Turkish, then Yemeni control.)

See also

• United Nations list of non-self-governing territories
• List of dependent territories
• List of predecessors of sovereign states in Asia
• Colonialism
• Persian Gulf Residency
• Imperialism in Asia
• Taiwan under Japanese rule
• Decolonisation
• Wars of national liberation

Further reading

• Panikkar, K. M. (1953) Asia and Western Dominance, 1498–1945, London: G. Allen and Unwin.