The United Provinces of India was a former British colony in the Indian subcontinent. In 1971 it became a full member of the Imperial Federation of Britain. It is bordered by Persia to the west; Sikkim, Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Siam and the United Republics of China to the east. India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.