The British Hong Kong period began in the 19th century when the British, Dutch, French, Indians and Americans saw China as the world's largest untapped market. The British empire launched their first and one of the most aggressive expeditionary forces to claim the territory under Queen Victoria in 1840, three years after she became the queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The territory that would later be known as Hong Kong was gained from the last dynasty of Imperial China.

In the short span of just a few decades, Hong Kong was transformed from a rocky undeveloped mountainous terrain to a major entrepôt for global trade. Through the opium wars and a series of treaties, the British were able to legitimately claim the territory until 1997. Early social and economic problems did exist in the colony, as there were drastic differences between Eastern and Western philosophy and culture. Nonetheless Hong Kong seized the opportunity to become one of the first parts of East Asia to modernize.

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south. It has a population of 7 million people but only 1,108 km² (428 sq mi) of land, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Beginning as a trading port, Hong Kong became a dependent territory of the United Kingdom in 1842, and remained so until transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997. Along with Macau, Hong Kong is one of the two special administrative regions under the "one country, two systems" policy. As a result, Hong Kong is largely self-governing, has its own currency, legal and political systems, a high degree of autonomy in all areas except foreign affairs and defence, and is generally not considered part of mainland China

Renowned for its expansive skyline and natural setting, Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial capitals, a major business and cultural hub, and maintains a highly developed capitalist economy. Its identity as a cosmopolitan centre where east meets west is reflected in its cuisine, cinema, music and traditions,and although the population is predominantly Chinese, residents and expatriates of other ethnicities form a small but significant segment of society.

British Honduras was the former name of what is now the independent nation of Belize and was a British colony on the east coast of Central America, southeast of Mexico. First colonised by Spaniards in the seventeenth century, it became a British crown colony from 1862 through 1964, when it became self-governing. Belize became fully independent from the United Kingdom in 1981. Belize was the last continental possession of the United Kingdom in the Americas.