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The British Empire was, at one time, the foremost global power and the greatest empire in history. It was a product of the European Age of Discovery that began with the global maritime explorations of Portugal and Spain in the late 15th century. By 1921 (the Empire was at its largest between the two World Wars, not before) the British Empire held sway over a population of about 470–570 million people; roughly a quarter of the world's population; and covered about 14.3 million square miles (more than 37 million km²), about a QUARTER of the world's total land area. Though it has since almost completely evolved into the Commonwealth of Nations, there remains a strong influence across the world, such as in economic practice, legal and government systems, the spread of many traditionally British sports (such as cricket and football) and also the spread of the English language. The British Empire was at one time refered to as "the empire on which the sun never sets", as due to its vastness, the sun was always shining on one of it's colonies.
Calling it the British Empire is actually a misnomer in itself......
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The "British Empire" was not a de jure(legitimate... ;) ) entity (like the German Empire, Austrian Empire, Russian Empire, or Japanese Empire), since Britain itself was a kingdom (the "United Kingdom" of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). One British possession, however, was an empire, namely India. Queen Victoria became "Empress of India" in 1876. Subsequently, the term "imperial" worked its way into various official terminology about British possessions, e.g. the "Imperial General Staff" and the "Imperial War Museum." When India and Pakistan became independent in 1947, the Indian Empire ceased to exist and both countries became, for a time, Dominions -- the category for previous British self-governing territories, starting with Canada (1867) and later coming to include the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, and, for a time (1926-1934), little Newfoundland (which did not join Canada until 1949). As the "Empire" faded, the British Commonwealth took over, though that organization seemed to offer less and less as time went on in terms of real economic, military, or political advantages.
I know....semantics,chemantics......