The plains of North America and Russia are our corn-fields; Chicago and Odessa our granaries; Canada and the Baltic are our timber-forests; Australasia contains our sheep-farms, and in South America are our herds of oxen; Peru sends her silver, and the gold of California and Australia flows to London; the Chinese grow tea for us, and our coffee, sugar, and spice plantations are in all the Indies. Spain and France are our vineyards, and the Mediterranean our fruit-garden; and our cotton-grounds, which formerly occupied the Southern United States, are now everywhere in the warm regions of the earth.
The phrase "the empire on which the sun never sets" has been used with variations to describe certain global empires that were so extensive that there was always at least one part of their territory in daylight. It was originally used for the Spanish Empire, mainly in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 19th century, it became popular to apply the phrase to the British Empire. It was a time when British world maps showed the Empire in red and pink to highlight British imperial power spanning the globe.
In history there are many people who want to become the most powerful leader in the world. None of them can do it. But the British had made his authority extend to almost all over the world. As we all know, Britain is an island country in Western Europe. British Empire reached its highest point in the early 20th century. It hat around the world more than 50 pieces of colonies. The total area of the territory of the British Empire reached 33 million square kilometers, had the largest global colonization. At that time British Empire controlled one-third of the territory and a quarter of the world's population, ruled the world for more than a century, war a veritable "The empire on which the sun never sets."
Why can Britain become do this?
First, it has an advantaged geographic location. As an island British local territory is limited, so Britain has always attached great importance of sea power, strongly develop the ocean industry. Britain located in Shipping center. This provides a great convenience to colonial expansion.
Second, after the bourgeois revolution rule into bourgeois Britain. Commerce and industry in Britain great developed. In this case, Britain urgently need new markets
and material base. This is also an important motivity for British colonial expansion. Third, Britain took the lead in the industrial revolution, cam into the "steam" era. British economic and technological strength has been greatly improved, which provides extremely favorable conditions for the development of the British army. What ist British approach to become "The empire on which the sun never sets"? Britain expand business and business, accelerate and strengthen the development colonies, to control the overseas market, monopolize supply of raw materials, and rob overseas wealth. After Holland has Britain an East India Company established, to set up a commercial colonial system.
Britain pay more attention to the construction of navy, build the most powerful navy in the world to control shipping route in the world. British pirates are free to attack and rob the Spanish ship are not subject to punishment.
The reason for the decline of Britain
Two world wars so that Britain's strength was. There are more powerful countries in the world. Especially in Europe. It depends too much on colonies in aspect of economy.。