People used to say, “The sun never sets on the British Empire,” because the empire consisted of colonies all over the world. At its height in 1920, the British Empire controlled 35.5 million sq. Britain’s imperial expansion began in the early 17 th century.
It consisted of the colonial possessions of what is now the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The British Empire was the largest empire in human history. British Empire - 35.5 million km 2 Map showing the extent of the British Empire at its peak.
