Long after the decline of the British Empire, the United Kingdom still governs a surprising number of islands scattered across the globe. Some are thriving financial centres with luxury marinas and white-sand beaches, while others are frozen Antarctic wildernesses inhabited only by penguins and research teams. Together, these territories form some of the last visible fragments of a maritime empire that once ruled a quarter of the Earth’s population.
Those islands that are still ruled today as British Overseas Territories were each acquired in different ways, at different points in history. Some through naval conquest, colonial settlement, diplomatic treaties and wartime occupations, while others became military bases guarding trade routes and oceans. Many have since evolved into popular tourist destinations thanks to balmy climates and paradisiacal vistas.
From the subtropical coves of Bermuda to the storm-lashed cliffs of the Falklands, each island carries its own distinct history and political significance.
1. Bermuda
Bermuda is Britain’s oldest remaining overseas territory, founded after the English ship Sea Venture wrecked on its reefs en route to Virginia. Unlike many imperial settlements, Bermuda was not bought outright, but claimed and colonised through settlement and royal charter in 1612. The island later became a crucial Royal Navy base guarding Atlantic trade routes and shipping lanes.
Geographically, Bermuda sits isolated in the North Atlantic about 1,000km east of the US coast. The island is famous for pink-sand beaches, turquoise water and limestone cliffs, softened by subtropical vegetation.
2. Falkland Islands
The Falklands have long been strategically valuable because of their position near Cape Horn and Antarctic shipping routes. Britain first established a settlement in the 18th century before re-establishing sovereignty in 1833 after competing French, Spanish and Argentine claims. The islands became globally known after the 1982 Falklands War, when Britain defeated Argentina following an invasion.
The archipelago is stark and windswept, dominated by rolling peat hills, rocky coasts, penguin colonies and treeless grasslands. The climate is cold oceanic, with strong winds year-round and rapid weather changes.
3. Gibraltar
Gibraltar is strategically very important because it controls access between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Britain seized it during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1704 and retained it under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, which still underpins British sovereignty today. However, Spain continues to dispute ownership, making Gibraltar one of Britain’s more politically sensitive territories.
The territory is dominated by the towering limestone Rock of Gibraltar, rising sharply above dense urban streets and marinas. Mediterranean sunshine, macaque monkeys, and a network of military tunnels characterise the 6.8km2 territory.
4. Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands came under British influence during the expansion of England’s Caribbean empire and was formally ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Madrid in 1670. Originally sparsely populated, the islands grew through maritime trade, turtle harvesting, and later offshore finance. Today, they are known as a big tax-neutral financial centre.
They consist of three islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. The islands feature coral reefs, low-lying mangrove, white sand beaches, and exceptionally clear water within which lives an abundance of reef habitat.
5. British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands became part of Britain’s Caribbean island network during imperial competition with the Dutch in 1672. Here, sugar plantations and enslaved labour once dominated the economy, which is now led by tourism and offshore financial services.
Visually, the islands are considered among the Caribbean’s most photogenic, complete with steep green hills descending into sheltered bays filled with yachts and coral reefs. Tortola, the largest island (see image above), combines rainforest-covered peaks with calm turquoise harbours.
6. Anguilla
Anguilla spent centuries politically tied to neighbouring St Kitts and Nevis islands before local resistance pushed for direct British administration. Britain ultimately separated Anguilla into its own territory in 1980 after years of unrest and constitutional disputes since its initial settlement in 1650.
The island is low, flat and ringed with brilliant white beaches and shallow coral reefs. Unlike mountainous Caribbean islands, Anguilla has a dry landscape dotted with scrub vegetation and salt ponds.
7. Montserrat Island
Montserrat was settled largely by Irish Catholics fleeing political turmoil in the British Isles in 1632, giving the island a unique Irish-Caribbean identity. Britain retained the island through centuries of colonial administration and plantation agriculture.
The island is dominated by lush volcanic mountains and dense tropical forest. Its defining modern event was the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano in the 1990s, which destroyed the capital of Plymouth and reshaped much of the southern island.
8. Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands became tied to Britain through Bahamian salt traders, and later colonial administration in the 18th century. Though lightly populated for much of their history, the islands grew rapidly through tourism and offshore finance during the late 20th century.
The territory consists of low coral islands surrounded by shallow turquoise banks and extensive reefs. Grace Bay on Providenciales is frequently ranked among the world’s best beaches.
9. Pitcairn Islands
Pitcairn is one of the world’s most isolated inhabited territories, famously settled by the mutineers from HMS Bounty and their Polynesian companions in 1790. Britain later formalised control and established the islands as a Crown colony in 1838.
The islands are volcanic, steep and remote, surrounded by vast stretches of Pacific Ocean. Pitcairn itself rises dramatically from the sea with rugged cliffs and subtropical vegetation. Fewer than 100 permanent residents live on the island today.
10. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
These islands were originally claimed by Captain James Cook during his voyages in the South Atlantic in 1775. Britain later used South Georgia as a whaling hub and scientific outpost. Argentina also claimed the islands and occupied them briefly during the 1982 Falklands conflict.
The landscape is harsh and spectacular, with glaciers, snow-covered mountains and storm-battered coastlines. Wildlife meanwhile, is short of extraordinary. The isles boast huge penguin colonies, elephant seals, and seabirds, all thriving in the subpolar climate. Human settlement, on the other hand, is minimal.
11. Saint Helena
Saint Helena became one of Britain’s most strategically important resupply points during the age of sail, having been claimed by the English East India Company in 1659. It is best known as the place of Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile after Waterloo, chosen precisely because of its extreme isolation.
The island rises abruptly from the Atlantic in dramatic volcanic cliffs covered by green highlands and inland cloud forest. Jamestown, squeezed into a narrow valley, still looks distinctly Georgian and British.
12. Chagos Archipelago, British Indian Ocean Territory
The British Indian Ocean Territory centres on the Chagos Archipelago, including the island of Diego Garcia (pictured above). The territory was passed to Britain from France under the Treaty of Paris in 1814 and Britain then separated the islands from Mauritius in 1965 during the Cold War to create a joint UK-US military base. The territory remains controversial because of the forced removal of Chagossian islanders between the 1960s and 1970s, and sovereignty disputes with Mauritius continue today.
