Colony

In politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a geographically-distant state (or city, in ancient times). Some colonies were historically separate countries, while others were territories without definite statehood at the moment of colonization. The metropolitan state is the state that owns the colony. In Ancient Greece, the city that owned a colony was called the metropolis within its political organization. Mother country is the term used to refer to the metropolitan state by its citizens that live in a colony. In some cases colonies are referred to as overseas territories.

Related Topics:
Politics - History - State - City - Colonization - Ancient Greece - Overseas territories

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A colony differs from a puppet state or satellite state in that a colony has no independent international representation and the top-level administration of a colony is under direct control of the metropolitan state.

Related Topics:
Puppet state - Satellite state

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The term "informal colony" is used by some historians to describe a country which is under the de facto control of another state, although this description is often contentious.

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