British protectorate

A British protectorate was a place where the British government helped keep things safe. The people in these places already had their own leaders and rules. The British made special promises, called treaties, to help protect them. But the local leaders could still make many of their own choices.

The British mostly helped with safety and with talking to other countries. This let the local cultures stay strong while getting help from Britain. For example, places like Uganda and the Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati) were British protectorates.

Many of these places are now their own countries. The last British protectorate was the British Solomon Islands, which became independent in 1978. The last protected state was Brunei, which became fully independent in 1984.