A quarter of humanity, a quarter of the land — run from one small island. At its peak the British Empire covered more territory and ruled more people than any empire before or since, its possessions painted red on every schoolroom map on earth. It was built by traders, soldiers, and bureaucrats, and it unmade the world it made.
London ★ India Canada Australia Hong Kong Cape of Good Hope Greatest extent — stylized map 1583 Newfoundland 1757 Plassey 1815 Waterloo 1877 Empress of India 1920 Zenith 1947 India free 1997 Hong Kong Rise · zenith · fall The empire by the numbers, 1920 Land (millions of km²) 35.5 million km² People (millions) 412 million people By the numbers The rise It began with piracy and plantations: Humphrey Gilbert's claim on Newfoundland in 1583, the East India Company's charter in 1600, and a century of war with France and Spain for the trade routes. The turning point came in 1757 at Plassey, where Robert Clive's 3,000 men defeated the Nawab of Bengal's 50,000 — and a trading company became the ruler of India, the richest prize on earth.
