COLONY, a settlement formed in one country by the inhabitants of another. Colonies may either be formed in depend ence on the mother country or in inde pendence. Among ancient nations the principal promoters of colonization were the Phoenicians, the Greeks, and the Ro mans; the greatest colonizers in modern times have been the English and the Spaniards.
Ancient Colonies.—The Phoenician col onies were chiefly commercial, serving as entrepOts and ports of repair for Phoe nician commerce along the coasts of Af rica and Spain, in the latter of which they numbered, according to Strabo, more than 200. Carthage, which was it self a colony of Phoenicia, was the great est colonizing state of the ancient world. The Greek colonies, which were widely spread in Asia Minor and the islands of the Mediterranean, the coasts of Mace donia and Thrace, in south Italy and Sicily, were commonly independent, and frequently soon surpassed the mother states in power and importance. The col onies of Rome were chiefly military, and while the empire lasted were all in strict subordination to the central government. As the Roman power declined the re mains of them amalgamated with the peoples among whom they were placed, thus forming in countries where they were sufficiently strong what are known as the Latin races, with languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Ital ian) which are merely modifications of the old Roman tongue.
Portuguese.—These were the first great colonizers among modern states. In 1419 they discovered Madeira, the Azores, and the Cape Verde Islands; the Kongo and the Cape of Good Hope followed; and before the century was out Vasco da Gama had landed at Calicut on the Mala bar coast of India. The first Portuguese colonies were garrisons along the coasts where they traded; Mozambique and So fala on the E. coast of Africa; Ormuz and Muscat in the Persian Gulf, Goa, and Damao on the W. coast of India. Colonies were established in Ceylon in 1505; in the Moluccas in 1510. Brazil was discovered in 1499, and this magnifi cent possession fell to Portugal, and was colonized about 1530. The Portuguese
now possess several territories in Asia, at Goa, Damao and Diu, India; Macao, China; and some islands in the Indian Archipelago. In Africa they possess the Cape Verde and other islands; settle ments in Senegambia, Guinea, Mozam bique, Sofala, Angola, Benguela, Mossa medes, amounting in area to about 700,000 square miles; but Portuguese influence is really limited to a very small portion of this.
Spanish.—Soon after the Portuguese the Spaniards began the work of colo nization. In 1492 Columbus, on board of a Spanish vessel, discovered the island of San Salvador. Haiti, or San Domingo, Porto Rico, Jamaica and Cuba were soon colonized, and before the middle of the 16th century Mexico. Ecuador, Venezue la, New Granada, Peru, and Chile were subdued, and Spain took the first rank among the colonizing powers of Europe. In 1899 Spain sold to Germany the Caro line Islands; all of the Ladrones except ing Guam, which had been ceded to the United States in 1898; and the Pelew or Palaos group; and only retained her African possessions.
Dutch.—Philip II. barred Dutch ves sels from the port of Lisbon, and this forced the Dutch to import directly from India. Several companies were soon formed, and in 1602 they were united into one, the Dutch East India Company, with a monopoly of the East India trade and sovereign powers over all conquests and colonies in India. The Dutch now rapidly deprived the Portuguese of nearly all their East Indian territories, settled a colony at the Cape of Good Hope (1650), established a West India Company, made extensive conquests in Brazil (1623-1660), which were soon lost, and more permanent ones on some of the smaller West India Islands, as San Eustatia, Curacao, Saba, etc. The Dutch still possess numerous colonies in the East Indies, the most important of which are Java, Sumatra, Dutch Borneo, the Molucca Islands and part of New Guinea; also several small islands in the West Indies, and Surinam.