The Student Room Group
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>

This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

What are the only countries that were not colonized by europe?

I can think of Thailand and Japan but that's it.Hmm China?Turkey?

All of Africa and the Middle East were carved up between western european countries. All of North and South America were colonized, including Caribbean. Southeast Asia was colonized minus Thailand. I think China was colonized in parts. India was colonized or occupied by Britain for many years. Australia was a former British colony. All of the South Pacific was in German, french or British hands until after WW2 when the Germans had to turn over their territories to allies countries. I can't think of a place on earth where Europe didn't invade and take it over.

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Avatar for Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
1
Iran was never colonised. Russia and Britain fought each other for power in Iran, but it was never colonised.

Ethiopia was never colonised, it was "occupied" for about five?? years but not "colonised".
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 2
Avatar for 12lightf
12lightf
1
Ethiopia - only conquered for a few years prior to WW2 and many countries didn't recognise Italy's conquest. It didn't get conquered when most African countries were anyway.

Liberia too, though that's a tricky one cause it was always very very influenced (and established as a haven for freed slaves) by America.

Persia/Iran was never technically colonised, although the British ruled in all but name for a good 100 years just through having economic control. I suppose you can say that applies for any given country - the vast majority of China outside a few coastal cities was never colonised but the country was dependent on foreign companies who controlled its assets.

EDIT: History nerd coming into action here, Afghanistan was never colonised, nor was the northern half of Yemen or what is now Saudi Arabia. Most of the Gulf States (Oman, what is now the UAE, Kuwait) were protectorates of Britain but still had independence on the domestic level - they were never colonised in the sense of being annexed.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 3
Avatar for frenchfries
frenchfries
Antartica, nobody wants to live there.
Reply 4
Avatar for Xyrish
Xyrish
4
China was never officially colonized by Europeans APART from a few coastal regions. Even the Shanghai International Settlement was sovereign Chinese territory but operated by different rules.
Reply 5
Avatar for No Man
No Man
15
The Koreas, Turkey, China (unless you count Hong Kong and Macau), Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, I think.
(edited 12 years ago)
Nepal and Bhutan.
Thailand.
Reply 8
Avatar for Brandmon
Brandmon
2
Original post by No Man
The Koreas, China, Turkey (unless you count Hong Kong and Macau), Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, I think.


Them (While Turkey is debatable since it itself was a colonial power, then might as well include Russia and a large number of other countries) and also Persia, Afghanistan, Oman, Mongolia, Bhutan and Nepal also come to mind.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 9
Avatar for Claymatser
Claymatser
Original post by 12lightf
Ethiopia - only conquered for a few years prior to WW2 and many countries didn't recognise Italy's conquest. It didn't get conquered when most African countries were anyway.

Liberia too, though that's a tricky one cause it was always very very influenced (and established as a haven for freed slaves) by America.

Persia/Iran was never technically colonised, although the British ruled in all but name for a good 100 years just through having economic control. I suppose you can say that applies for any given country - the vast majority of China outside a few coastal cities was never colonised but the country was dependent on foreign companies who controlled its assets.

EDIT: History nerd coming into action here, Afghanistan was never colonised, nor was the northern half of Yemen or what is now Saudi Arabia. Most of the Gulf States (Oman, what is now the UAE, Kuwait) were protectorates of Britain but still had independence on the domestic level - they were never colonised in the sense of being annexed.


The Middle East was never colonized nor Arabia.
Reply 10
Avatar for minniiee
minniiee
12
:facepalm:
why do such innocent threads always get blown out of proportion in such fashions!

anywhos
im not 100% sure if turkey counts cos technically it was a colonial power, but then again aloooong time ago part of the turkey we know today belonged to greece.
I think parts of china may have been colonised (i.e. hong kong)
other wise as people have mentioned: persia, afghanistan, oman, mongolia (although i though mongolia was also a colonial power at one point...?), bhutan, nepal, thailand, koreas, etc
Europe kicked ass back then.
Original post by 99luft Balons
I can think of Thailand and Japan but that's it.Hmm China?Turkey?
a
All of Africa and the Middle East were carved up between western european countries. All of North and South America were colonized, including Caribbean. Southeast Asia was colonized minus Thailand. I think China was colonized in parts. India was colonized or occupied by Britain for many years. Australia was a former British colony. All of the South Pacific was in German, french or British hands until after WW2 when the Germans had to turn over their territories to allies countries. I can't think of a place on earth where Europe didn't invade and take it over.
Thailand was never "colonised" per se, but it did fall under very heavy British and French influence; Thailand had very questionable suzerainty during the late 1800s. Secondly it was occupied and colonised by Japan for four years, but I don't think that counts. China, perhaps.
Technically the west coast of the USA was never colonised by a European power - only by European people. Does that count? What are we counting as European here?
Reply 14
Avatar for Brandmon
Brandmon
2
Original post by CurtainrailMan
Technically the west coast of the USA was never colonised by a European power - only by European people. Does that count? What are we counting as European here?


Good point actually. While I would argue that at the time the Early-US was culturally clearly a European power , what it did at the West coast was not exactly colonisation but rather direct annexation. They didn't subjugate the indigenous people there but literally swept them aside. So it can't exactly be called colonisations as the questions raised are clearly separate.
[video="youtube;4-3uuEplmEo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-3uuEplmEo[/video]
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 16
Avatar for natchina
natchina
Europeans did not colonise hardly any of their colonial possessions.

Mostly, they were run by a few civil servants.

The irony is, the greatest colonisation in history now is taking place in Europe.

Eventually, Europeans will view mass immigration as old colonial natives viewed imperialism.

European independence from the evils of mass immigration is a moral imperative.
Original post by Perseveranze
[video="youtube;4-3uuEplmEo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-3uuEplmEo[/video]


Alexander the Great might have something to say about that...
Original post by frenchfries
Antartica, nobody wants to live there.


Countries, not continents :tongue:
Reply 19
Avatar for Clip
Clip
19
Original post by NDGAARONDI
Nepal


Although we did have loads of pretty big fights with them and ended up taking half the country, before they eventually decided being British was a good idea.

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you