The British Empire, at its height in the early 20th century, encompassed a vast array of territories spanning nearly every continent. It included large portions of Africa such as Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, and South Africa; significant parts of Asia including India (often referred to as the "crown jewel" of the empire), Burma (now Myanmar), and Malaysia; territories in the Middle East like Iraq and Palestine; numerous islands in the Caribbean such as Jamaica and Barbados; and various other scattered possessions like Cyprus in the Mediterranean, Hong Kong in East Asia, and Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. In North America, Canada remained part of the empire, while Australia and New Zealand were key territories in Oceania. The empire also controlled smaller but strategically important locations like the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic and numerous Pacific islands. This expansive network of colonies, protectorates, and dominions covered approximately a quarter of the Earth's total land area and included about a quarter of the world's population at its peak, earning it the moniker "the empire on which the sun never sets."