flashenglish
news
ESL ENGLISH LESSON (60-120 mins) - 10th September 2010
The British Empire — where the sun never set
At its peak the British Empire was the largest empire the world had ever
known. It was said 'the sun never sets on the British Empire' because its
span across the globe ensured that the sun was always shining on at least
one of its numerous colonies or subject nations. Its power and influence
stretched all over the globe for several centuries. For better or worse it had
a massive impact on the history of the world. It was a product of the
European age of discovery that began with the maritime explorations in the
160' century, which sparked the era of the European colonial empires. The
America's colonisation forming palt of the first era of the British Empire.
Trade by British companies largely drove its expansion. The East India
Company in 1600 established outposts in pats of India. This led to
expansion in the Far East including Penang and Singapore. The Hudson Bay
Company led the way in Eastern Canada. The first permanent presence in
Africa was at James Island on the Gambia River. Later the aritish landed at
the Cape of Good Hope, going on to conquer what became South Africa.
The Slave Trade in West Africa and the Caribbean flourished. Britain lost
America but then went on to acquire New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and other
islands in the pacific. The British extended their influence in the sheikdoms
of southern Arabia and the Persian Gulf including Aden. Malta, Cyprus and
Gibraltar became key links through the Mediterranean in the line of
communication to India - making use of the newly French built Suez Canal.
The British Empire's second era and the one that is most associated with it
was in the 190' century. During the Victorian period was when it was at its
height. Africa became the forefront of its expansion
Egypt, Sudan and
Nigeria. The British East African Company extended its influence in Uganda
and Kenya. The British South African Company in Rhodesia, Zambia and
Malawi. In 1910, an enthusiastic British public had the vision of an empire
that extended from the Cape to Cairo. By 1921, the British Empire ruled
over a population of 458m people, approximately one quater of the world's
population. It covered 36.7 million square kilometres, about a quatter of the
earth's total land area. This included India, Australia, Canada, Palestine,
Sierra Leone, Burma and Malaya to name a few.
Category: History / British Empire / Great Britain
Level: Intermediate / Upper intermediate
This ESL is of WWW_neWSflaShengliSh.COm
quotationof.com