Last modified on January 1, 2017, at 00:58

Colony

A colony is a nation's settlement in a conquered or previously unsettled territory for the purpose of inhabiting and expanding territory. Typically, it has been a region or governmental unit created by another country outside that country's borders that is generally ruled by that country. Colonies were very common until the 1960s when Western countries began a process of decolonization that allowed former colonies to become independent nations.

The word comes from the Latin colōnia ‎(“colony”), from colōnus ‎(“farmer; colonist”), and from colō ‎(“till, cultivate, worship”).