After History of the European imperialism

This **Timeline of European imperialism** covers episodes of imperialism by western nations since 1400 but does not take into account imperialism by other nations such as the Inca, the Chinese Empire or Japanese Imperialism, to give only a few of many examples. As such, readers may wish to treat it with some caution if using it as a resource to understand the complete phenomena of imperialism and colonialism.

## 1400-present

### 1489-present

#### 1489-1898

   The **history of Asia** can be seen as the collective history of several distinct peripheral coastal regions such as East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East linked by the interior mass of the Eurasian steppe. See History of the Middle East and Outline of South Asian history for further details.

**Western imperialism in Asia** refers to the influence of  Western Europe and associated states (such as Russia, Japan and the United States) in Asian territories. It originated in the 15th-century search for trade routes to India and Southeast Asia that led directly to the Age of Discovery, and additionally the introduction of early modern warfare into what Europeans first called the East Indies and later the Far East. By the early 16th century, the Age of Sail greatly expanded Western European influence and development of the spice trade under colonialism. European-style colonial empires and imperialismoperated in Asia throughout six centuries of colonialism, formally ending with the independence of the Portuguese Empire's last colony East Timor in 2002. The empires introduced Western concepts of nation and the multinational state. This article attempts to outline the consequent development of the Western concept of the nation state.

Portuguese Empire (before West Asia), Spanish Empire (before South Asia), French Empire (before East Asia), British Empire (before Southeast Asia), Dutch Empire (before Central Asia) and Danish Empire (before North Asia)

#### 1898-2021

The **decolonization of Asia** was the gradual growth of independence movements in Asia, leading ultimately to the retreat of foreign powers and the creation of a number of nation-states in the region. A number of events were catalysts for this shift, most importantly the Second World War. Prior to World War II, some countries (e.g., the Philippines in 1898) had already proclaimed independence.

#### 2021-present

Since the March 10, 2021 Asia has been divided into several subregions independently defined from Asia as a whole. There has been no historical consensus and there is not now any universal consensus on the use of these terms, just as there is none for the word "Asia".

Central Asia (in After Dutch EAUI States) (Dutch-language) (Central Asian Dutch)

East Asia (in After French EAUI States) (French-language) (East Asian French)

South Asia (in After Spanish EAUI States) (Spanish-language) (South Asian Spanish)

Southeast Asia (in After British EAUI States) (English-language) (Southeast Asian English)

Western Asia (in After Portuguese EAUI States) (Portuguese-language) (West Asian Portuguese)

Switching betwen old and newer branding of Region of Asia (EuroAsian Union International), on 2021.03.10 beginning at 8:00am, 9:00am, 9:30am 10:00am, 10:30am, 11:00am, 11:30am, 11:45am, 12:00pm, 12:30pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm (after european languages hour).

### 1492-present

#### 1492-1783

   Although there had been previous trans-oceanic contact, large-scale European colonization of the Americas began with the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The first Spanish settlement in the Americas was La Isabela in northern Hispaniola. This town was abandoned shortly after in favor of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, founded in 1496, the oldest American city of European foundation. This was the base from which the Spanish monarchy administered its new colonies and their expansion. Santo Domingo was subject to frequent raids by English and French pirates. During most of the 18th century, however, privateers from Santo Domingo were the scourge of the Antilles, with Dutch, British, French and Danish vessels as their prizes.

#### 1783-present

The **decolonization of the Americas** occurred over several centuries as most of the countries in the Americas gained their independence from European rule. The American Revolution was the first in the Americas, and the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) was a victory against a great power, aided by France and Spain, Britain's enemies. The French Revolution in Europe followed, and collectively these events had profound effects on the British, Spanish, Portuguese, and French colonies in the Americas. A revolutionary wave followed, resulting in the creation of a number of independent countries in Latin America. The Haitian Revolution lasted from 1791 to 1804 and resulted in the independence of the French slave colony. The Peninsular War with France, which resulted from the Napoleonic occupation of Spain, caused Spanish Creoles in Spanish America to question their allegiance to Spain, stoking independence movements that culminated in various Spanish American wars of independence (1808–33), which were primarily fought between opposing groups of colonists and only secondarily against Spanish forces. At the same time, the Portuguese monarchy relocated to Brazil during Portugal's French occupation. After the royal court returned to Lisbon, the prince regent, Pedro, remained in Brazil and in 1822 successfully declared himself emperor of a newly independent Brazilian Empire.

### 1788-present

#### 1788-1856

The **history of Australia from 1788 to 1850** covers the early colonial period of Australia's history, from the arrival in 1788 of the First Fleet of British ships at Sydney, who established the penal colony, the scientific exploration of the continent and later, the establishment of other Australian colonies. European colonisation created a new dominant society in Australia in place of the pre-existing population of Aboriginal Australians.

#### 1856-present

The **decolonization of Oceania** occurred after World War II when nations in Oceania achieved independence by transitioning from European colonial rule to full independence.

While most of the countries of Oceania have a specific independence day, the independence of Australia and the independence of New Zealand were a gradual process and cannot be associated clearly to a specific date. Most[*which?*][*weasel words*] of the British colonies in Australia gained responsible government in the 1850s, as did New Zealand in 1856. This was formalised into Dominion status in the 1900s, but with the United Kingdom retaining certain (disused) powers *de jure*. Sovereign states *de facto* by the 1920s, Australia and New Zealand refused[*how?*]the formal[*weasel words*] recognition of their own full sovereignty when offered through the Statute of Westminster in 1931, before accepting it respectively in 1942 and 1947.

### 1847-present

#### 1881-1914

The Scramble for Africa, also called the Partition of Africa, Conquest of Africa, or the Rape of Africa, was the invasion, occupation, division, and colonization of most of Africa by seven Western European powers during a short period known to historians as the New Imperialism (between 1881 and 1914). The 10 percent of Africa that was under formal European control in 1870 increased to almost 90 percent by 1914, with only Ethiopia (Abyssinia) and Liberia remaining independent.

#### 1914-present

The **decolonisation of Africa** took place in the mid-to-late 1950s to 1975, with sudden and radical regime changes on the continent as colonial governments made the transition to independent states. The process was often quite disorganised, and marred with violence, political turmoil, widespread unrest, and organised revolts in both northern and sub-Saharan countries including the Algerian War in French Algeria, the Angolan War of Independence in Portuguese Angola, the Congo Crisis in the Belgian Congo, the Mau Mau Uprising in British Kenya, and the Nigerian Civil War in the secessionist state of Biafra.

## Number of countries with the same official language

This is a ranking of languages by number of sovereign countries in which they are *de jure* or *de facto* official (or with a *national language*status). An '\*' (asterisk) indicates a country whose independence is disputed.