Overseas Territories (United Kingdom)

Introduction

The 14 British Overseas Territories (BOT) are territories under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom. They are the parts of the British Empire that have not been granted independence or have voted to remain British territories. These territories do not form part of the United Kingdom and, with the exception of Gibraltar, are not part of the European Union. Most of the inhabited territories are internally self-governing, with the UK retaining responsibility for defence and foreign relations. The rest are either uninhabited or have a transitory population of military or scientific personnel. They share the British monarch (Elizabeth II) as head of state.

None of the overseas territories has its own nationality status, and most residents hold two forms of British nationality: British Overseas Territories citizenship (BOTC) and British citizenship. Only the latter grants the right of abode in a specific country or territory, namely, the United Kingdom proper which includes its three Crown Dependencies. Individual overseas territories have legislative independence over immigration, and consequently, BOTC status does not automatically grant the right of abode in any of the territories, as it depends on the territory's immigration laws.

There are movements for independence in Bermuda and Anguilla but they don't currently have majority support.

Almost all overseas areas of the UK are covered in the respective continents, except the ones mentioned here.

Territories

• Akrotiri and Dhekelia - located on Cyprus.
• Anguilla - Caribbean island
• Bermuda - island in the Atlantic Ocean.
• British Indian Ocean Territory
• British Antarctic Territory
• Cayman Islands - in the Caribbean.
• Falkland Islands - located in the south Atlantic Ocean.
• Gibraltar - southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands - in the southern Atlantic Ocean.