The British Empire is a now-defunct imperial union that existed between 1707 and 1815. Officially called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and including overseas territories around the globe, the British Empire officially consisted of the islands in the British Isles as well as colonies, protectorates or dominions such as Canada and much of northern North America, holdings in the West Indies, territories in south Asia as well as Australia, and had semi-colonial relationships with numerous territories in Africa.