Canada Canada has no external territories, but maintains three internal territories alongside the provinces of the Canadian mainland. Unlike the provinces, the territories of Canada have no inherent
sovereignty and have only those powers delegated to them by the federal government. They include all of mainland Canada north of
latitude 60° north and west of
Hudson Bay and all islands north of the Canadian mainland (from those in
James Bay to the Queen Elizabeth Islands).
Australia In addition to the six Australian States, Australia also comprises ten territories, whose existence and governmental structure (if any) depend on federal legislation. The territories are distinguished for federal administrative purposes between
internal territories, i.e. those within the Australian mainland, and
external territories, although the differences among all the territories relate to population rather than location. Two of the three
internal territoriesthe
Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which was established to be a neutral site of the federal capital, and the
Northern Territoryfunction almost as states. Each has self-government, through its legislative assembly, but the assembly's legislation can be federally overridden. Each has its own judiciary, with appeal to a federal court. The third internal territory, the
Jervis Bay Territory, is the product of Australia's complex relationship with its capital city; rather than having the same level of autonomy as the other internal territories, it has services provided by the ACT. There are also seven
external territories, not part of the Australian mainland or of any state. Three of them have a small permanent population, two have tiny and transient populations, and two are uninhabited. All are directly administered by the federal
Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities (or the
Department of the Environment and Energy in the case of the
Australian Antarctic Territory).
Norfolk Island, which is permanently populated, was partially self-governing until 2015.
New Zealand The
Pacific islands of the Cook Islands and Niue became New Zealand's first colonies in 1901 and then
protectorates. From 1965 the Cook Islands became self-governing, as did Niue from 1974. Tokelau came under New Zealand control in 1925 and remains a
non-self-governing territory. The Ross Dependency comprises that sector of the
Antarctic continent between 160° east and 150° west longitude, together with the islands lying between those degrees of longitude and south of latitude 60° south. The
British (imperial) government took possession of this territory in 1923 and entrusted it to the administration of New Zealand. Neither
Russia nor the
United States recognises this claim, and the matter remains unresolved (along with all other Antarctic claims) by the
Antarctic Treaty, which serves to mostly smooth over these differences. The area is uninhabited, apart from scientific bases.
New Zealand citizenship law treats all parts of the Realm equally, so most people born in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and the Ross Dependency before 2006 are New Zealand citizens. Further conditions apply for those born from 2006 onwards.
United Kingdom British Overseas Territories The
British Overseas Territories (
BOTs) are fourteen
territories all with a constitutional link with – but not forming part of – the
United Kingdom. Most of the permanently inhabited territories are internally self-governing, with the UK retaining responsibility for defence and
foreign relations. Three are inhabited only by a transitory population of military or scientific personnel. They all have the
British monarch as
head of state. The term "British Overseas Territory" was introduced by the
British Overseas Territories Act 2002, replacing the term
British Dependent Territory, introduced by the
British Nationality Act 1981. Prior to 1 January 1983, the territories were officially referred to as
British Crown Colonies. The British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are themselves distinct from the
Commonwealth realms, a group of 15 independent countries (including the United Kingdom) each having Charles III as their reigning monarch, and from the
Commonwealth of Nations, a voluntary association of 54 countries mostly with historic links to the British Empire (which also includes all Commonwealth realms). , three Territories (the
Falkland Islands,
Gibraltar and the
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on
Cyprus) are the responsibility of the
Minister of State for Europe and the Americas; the Minister responsible for the remaining Territories is the
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Overseas Territories and Sustainable Development. }
Crown Dependencies The
Crown Dependencies (; ) are three island territories off the coast of
Great Britain that are self-governing possessions of
The Crown: the
Bailiwick of Guernsey, the
Bailiwick of Jersey and the
Isle of Man. They do not form part of either the
United Kingdom or the
British Overseas Territories. Internationally, the dependencies are considered "territories for which the United Kingdom is responsible", rather than
sovereign states. As a result, they are not member states of the
Commonwealth of Nations. However, they do have relationships with the Commonwealth, the
European Union, and other international organisations, and are members of the
British–Irish Council. They have their own teams in the
Commonwealth Games. As the Crown dependencies are not sovereign states, the power to pass legislation affecting the islands ultimately rests with the government of the United Kingdom (though this is rarely done without the consent of the dependencies, and the right to do so is disputed). However, they each have their own legislative assembly, with the power to legislate on many local matters with the assent of the Crown (
Privy Council, or in the case of the Isle of Man in certain circumstances the
Lieutenant-Governor). In each case, the
head of government is called the
Chief Minister. Including
Alderney,
Guernsey, and
Sark. == Supporting views ==