Territories excluding Dominions
| Country | Date | Year of Independence | |
| Afghanistan | August 19 | 1919 | Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 The treaty granted complete independence from Britain; although Afghanistan was never a part of the British Empire. |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 1 November | 1982 | |
| Australia | 1 January | 1901 | Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia on 16 September 1975. |
| The Bahamas | 10 July | 1973 | |
| Bahrain | 15 August | 1971 | |
| Barbados | 30 November | 1966 | Barbados Independence Act 1966 |
| Belize | 22 September | 1981 | September Celebrations of Belize |
| Botswana | 30 September | 1966 | |
| Brunei | 1 January | 1984 | |
| Canada | 1 July | 1867 | British North America Act 1867 |
| Cyprus | 1 October | 1960 | 16 August 1960, but Cyprus Independence Day is commonly celebrated on 1 October.[1] |
| Dominica | 3 November | 1978 | |
| Egypt | 28 February | 1922 | |
| Fiji | 10 October | 1970 | |
| The Gambia | 18 February | 1965 | |
| Ghana | 6 March | 1957 | |
| Grenada | 7 February | 1974 | Independence Day (Grenada) |
| Guyana | 26 May | 1966 | |
| India | 15 August | 1947 | Independence Day (India) |
| Israel | 14 May | 1948 | Yom Ha’atzmaut |
| Iraq | 3 October | 1932 | |
| Jamaica | 6 August | 1962 | Independence Day (August 6) |
| Jordan | 25 May | 1946 | |
| Kenya | 12 December | 1963 | |
| Kiribati | 12 July | 1979 | |
| Kuwait | 25 February | 1961 | |
| Lesotho | 4 October | 1966 | |
| Malawi | 6 July | 1964 | |
| Malaysia | 31 August | 1957 | Hari Merdeka Singapore gained independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. |
| Maldives | 26 July | 1965 | |
| Malta | 21 September | 1964 | |
| Mauritius | 12 March | 1968 | |
| Myanmar | 4 January | 1948 | Gained independence as Burma. Renamed Myanmar in 1989, but still officially known by the United Kingdom government as Burma. |
| Nauru | 31 January | 1968 | Independence from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand on 31 January 1968. |
| New Zealand | 26 September | 1907 | Dominion Day Samoa gained independence from New Zealand on 1 January 1962. New Zealand has responsibilities for two freely associated states: Cook Islands (from 4 August 1965) Niue (from 19 October 1974) |
| Nigeria | 1 October | 1960 | |
| Pakistan | 14 August | 1947 | Independence Day (Pakistan) Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 (recognized in 1974). |
| Qatar | 3 September | 1971 | Qatar National Day |
| Saint Lucia | 22 February | 1979 | |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 19 September | 1983 | |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 27 October | 1979 | |
| Seychelles | 29 June | 1976 | |
| Sierra Leone | 27 April | 1961 | |
| Solomon Islands | 7 July | 1978 | |
| South Africa | 11 December | 1910 | 1931 adoption of Statute of Westminster. Not a public holiday. Union of South Africa formed on 31 May 1910 and Republic declared on 31 May 1961 and left the British Commonwealth on the same day. Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990. |
| Sri Lanka | 4 February | 1948 | Gained independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. Renamed Sri Lanka in 1972. |
| Sudan | 1 January | 1956 | South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011. |
| Swaziland | 6 September | 1968 | |
| Tanzania | 9 December | 1961 | |
| Tonga | 4 June | 1970 | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 31 August | 1962 | |
| Tuvalu | 1 October | 1978 | |
| Uganda | 9 October | 1962 | |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 December | 1971 | National Day (United Arab Emirates) |
| United States | 3 September | 1783 | Fourth of July. Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776. Independence achieved de facto 1781, and de jure 1783. |
| Vanuatu | 30 July | 1980 | Independence from United Kingdom and France in 1980 |
| Yemen | 30 November | 1967 | South Yemen 1967 |
| Zambia | 24 October | 1964 | |
| Zimbabwe | 18 April | 1980 | {Responsible self-government 1923. de facto independence 11 November 1965. |
(Source: Wikipedia)
Comment: It is simply amazing how a small nation could acquire such a vast empire. Then, there was that great reluctance to deny independence. Compare that with the current emphasis on sovereignty through what is known as Brexit!
Advertisements
