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A territory possessed or administered by a sovereign state which is both physically separate from it and not integrated into the governmental arrangements of the metropolitan state. A colony\'s constitution will thus be subordinate to that of the metropolitan state. But beyond that, a colony\'s constitutional position can vary enormously, from almost complete control by the colonial power to virtually unhindered internal self-government. Except for some very small or special instances, colonies have largely disappeared, reflecting the anti-colonial ethos of the age. There has also been a corresponding change in terminology. In British practice, ‘colony’ was first changed to ‘dependent territory’, but in 1998 that was judged by the new Labour Government to be demeaning, and the term was altered to ‘overseas territory’. Correspondingly, whereas the territories in question had been known as ‘British Dependent Territories’, they were now to be called ‘United Kingdom Overseas Territories’. See also Committee of 24; Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples; dependent territory; non-self-governing territory. |
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