The people and their land make up a colony. Most colonies are separated by an ocean from the ruling nation. The foreign power sends people to live in the colony, to govern it, and to use it as a source of wealth. The rulers and the people of most colonies belong to different ethnic groups. The rulers also have a more advanced technology than do the people of most colonies.
Colonialism dates back to ancient times.
The Romans ruled many colonies in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Beginning in the A.D. 1400's, European nations developed vast colonial empires in Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. The major colonial powers of Europe were France, Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. By the 1970's, most colonial empires had broken up. Nations have sought colonies chiefly to gain economic benefits.