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This is a comprehensive list of all German colonies and possessions outside of the European borders of the German Empire.
Not all of these colonies and possessions are directly administered. Institutions such as Mittelafrika and Deutsch-Ostasien represent specific jurisdictions within the German Empire, while the Aufsichtsrat der Ostasiatischen Generalverwaltung represents economic concessions managed on its behalf within the League of Eight Provinces.
German Colonies are divided into 4 (5) categories:
- Schutzgebiet (literally "Protected Territory", but always translated as "Protectorate" or "Colony") - These are fully German colonies, most of them are either pre-war colonies or French colonies of similar status annexed after the war.
- Protektorat ("Protectorate") - These are former French protectorates which have maintained their special status under Germany. They are ruled by a combination of native and German administration and de jure maintain some level of sovereignty.
- Pachtgebiet ("Leased Territory") - German concessions in China de jure they are only on a long-term lease from the Chinese government but de facto there is little to no difference in how they are managed compared to other colonial possessions.
- Britisch-deutsches Kondominium ("Anglo-German Condominium") - Territories of United Kingdom which after the British Revolution which were taken over by Germany either under explicit invitation of local British governors or at least without their protest. Germany states that these territories are just under temporary Imperial protection and will be returned to a legitimate British government should one ever manifest itself. The territories still use British symbols and are administered with great autonomy by local British elites, an arrangement which has for the most part suited both sides.
- Kondominium Neue Hebriden ("Condominium of New Hebrides") - A unique region under permanent joint British-German administration. Many institutions are shared between the two countries but since the British Revolution the British Hebrides became a condominium themselves, further complicating this arrangement.
Africa
Morocco
The French Protectorate of Morocco, established in 1912, was transferred to German suzerainty following the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. However, Germany's influence is very marginal compared to the times of the French administration, and therefore Morocco is considered an independent country by most nations.
Mittelafrika
German-Mittelafrika is the umbrella for Germany's colonial possessions in Africa, stretching from Ivory Coast in the west to Zanzibar in the east and from the rainforests of Ubangi-Shari to the deserts of Southwest Africa. Mittelafrika's administrative headquarters are located in the thriving East African metropolis of Daressalam, but the various regions of the huge colony have significant autonomy. All in all, German-Mittelafrika is divided into 4 subdivisions: West Africa (Capital: Lome), East Africa (directly administered by the Mittelafrikan central administration in Daressalam), Equatorial Africa (Capital: Buea) and Southern Africa (Capital: Windhuk). These subdivisions are again subdivided into smaller colonies, which are subdivided into districts and autonomous native territories.
German West Africa (Deutsch-Westafrika)
German West Africa, originally only consisting out of Togoland, which was considered Germany's Musterkolonie ("model colony") in Africa, was vastly expanded after the Treaty of Versailles of November 1919, when Germany gained access to the former French Colony of Dahomey.
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| Togoland Protectorate
Schutzgebiet Togo |
Lome |  |
| Dahomey Protectorate and Dependencies
Schutzgebiet Dahomey und Nebengebiete |
Porto-Novo |   |
British West Africa
Since 1925, the British Colonies of Nigeria and Gold Coast are under temporary German protection, but the British civil administration is mostly still in charge.
German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika)
German East Africa consists just of the German Protectorate of the same name and of the native protectorates of Ruanda and Burundi, which are located along Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganijka on the border to the former Belgian Congo.
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| German East Africa Protectorate
Schutzgebiet Deutsch-Ostafrika (Includes the autonomous Kingdoms of Ruanda and Burundi) |
Daressalam |   |
British East Africa
British East Africa consists of the former British colonies of Kenya and Uganda, which have been militarily occupied by Germany since 1925 "for an indefinite period of time". The British civil administrations however are still in place.
German Equatorial Africa (Deutsch-Äquatorialafrika)
German Equatorial Africa consists of the German core colony of Kamerun as well as the former French territories of Gabon and Ubangi-Shari, which were gained after the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. It is the largest continuous German colonial region and one of the largest colonial entities on earth.
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| Kamerun Protectorate
Schutzgebiet Kamerun (Includes the Mandara Kingdom) |
Buea |   |
| German Congo Protectorate
Schutzgebiet Deutsch-Kongo |
Brazzaville |   |
| Gabon Protectorate
Schutzgebiet Gabun |
Libreville |   |
| Ubangi-Shari Protectorate
Schutzgebiet Ubangi-Schari (Includes the Sultanates of Zemio and Rafai) |
Fort Mauch (named after Karl Mauch, until 1919 Fort de Possel) |   |
German Southwest Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika)
Sudwestafrika was formed in 1884. during the Weltrkrieg it was occupied by South Africa, but later returned.
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| German Southwest Africa Protectorate
Schutzgebiet Deutsch-Südwestafrika |
Windhuk |   |
British Central Africa
British Central Africa consists of the former British Protectorates of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The British administrations are still in charge, though Nyasaland has been claimed by Portuguese authorities since 1925.
Territories directly subordinated to the German Chancellor
The following territories are considered overseas territories of metropolitan Germany and are administered directly from Berlin by the Reichskanzler (since 1930 Kuno Graf von Westarp) and the Imperial Colonial Office in a similar style to former Crown Colonies of the United Kingdom.
German Somaliland (Deutsch-Somaliland)
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| German Somali Coast Protectorate
Schutzgebiet Deutsch-Somaliküste |
Djibouti City
(Dschibuti-Stadt) |
  |
German Southeast Africa (Deutsch-Südostafrika)
British Indian Ocean Territories
Asia
German India (Deutsch-Indien)
German India was established in 1919 after the Treaty of Versailles, when Germany gained access to the former French concessions on the Indian East Coast. The colonies inland possessions, notably Chandernagor in Bengal were yielded to the revolutionaries during the later stages of the Indian Civil War, due to their low value and long distance from the rest of Germany's colonial holdings.
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| German Protectorates in India
Deutsche Schutzgebiete in Indien (Includes Pondicherry, Karikal, Yanon, Mahe) |
Pondicherry | |
German Ceylon
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| Anglo-German Condominium of the Colony of Ceylon | Colombo | |
| Anglo-German Condominium of the Maldives | Dhivehi |
Deutsch-Ostasien
The German territories in Indochina and the Anglo-German joint administrations in South East Asia as well as the Chinese navy bases are subordinated to the German East Asian naval administration in Singapore. After the Fall of the British Empire in 1925, the German navy seized the British Colonies in South East Asia. On January 1st, 1926, a central German naval authority was established in Singapore.
German Indochina (Deutsch-Hinterindien)
Gained from France in 1919.
German Concessions in China (Deutsche Pachtgebiete in China)
The nucleus of German territories is the port city of Kiautschou, which was annexed in 1898. The French and Belgian concessions would be added in 1919. German concessions elsewhere are part of the Legation Cities.
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| Kiautschou Leased Territory
Pachtgebiet Kiautschou |
Tsingtau | Imperial Colonial Office flag used by the Governor   Imperial Navy service flag used by civilian institutions & lighthouses |
| Guangzhouwan Leased Territory
Pachtgebiet Kwangtschouwan |
Fort Bayard | Imperial Colonial Office flag used by the Governor Imperial Navy service flag used by civilian institutions & lighthouses |
| German Concessions in Hankou, Tianjin, Shanghai and Shamian
Deutsche Konzessionen in Hankou, Tientsin, Schanghai und Schamian |
Subordinated to the Legation Council of the International Mandate for the Concessions, Settlements and Legations in China in Shanghai |   Flag of the Legation Council   Imperial German Tricolore used by civilian institutions like consulates |
British Malaya
The colony of British Malaya was occupied in 1925. Since then, the port city of Singapore has become the administrative capital of German East Asia.
British Borneo
Borneo consists of a series of Anglo-German condominiums and protectorates.
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| Anglo-German Condominium of the Raj of Sarawak | Kuching |   Flag of the British Protectorate of the Raj of Sarawak Flag of the Imperial Colonial Office always flown alongside the British colonial flag |
| Anglo-German Condominium of the Protectorate of the State of Brunei | Brunei Town
(Brunei-Stadt) |
  Flag of the State of Brunei Flag of the Imperial Colonial Office always flown alongside the British colonial flag |
| Anglo-German Condominium of the State of North Borneo | Sandakan |   Flag of British North Borneo Flag of the Imperial Colonial Office always flown alongside the British colonial flag |
British Concessions in China
The British Concession of Weihaiwei was occupied in 1925 by the Kaiserliche Marine.
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| Anglo-German Condominium of Weihaiwei | Port Edward |   Flag of British Weihaiwei Imperial Navy service flag always flown alongside the British colonial flag |
Aufsichtsrat der Ostasiatischen Generalverwaltung
The Aufsichtsrat der Ostasiatischen Generalverwaltung ("Supervisory Board of the East Asian General Administration"), in short AOG, is the German administration controlling the trade of several Eastern Chinese cities. They operate out of German Tsingtau and are an important factor to secure Germany's economic dominance in China.
| Organization | Operating Areas | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| AOG | Tsingtau (Headquarters, under German control); Amoy, Canton, Nantong, Wenzhou (Administered from Nanjing, but extended economic rights to the German Empire) |   |
Pacific and Oceania
German Western Pacific Territories (Deutsche Territorien im Westpazifik)
The German territories in the Pacific and Oceania are subordinated to the German East Asian naval administration in Singapore.
| State | Capital | Flag |
|---|---|---|
| German New Guinea Protectorate
Schutzgebiet Deutsch-Neuguinea (Includes German Protectorates in the South sea Deutsche Schutzgebiete in der Südsee) |
Simpsonhafen |   |
| German Pacific Territories Protectorate
Schutzgebiet Deutsche Pazifik-Inseln (German Samoa until 1919; includes German Samoa, New Caledonia and Wallis & Futuna and German Oceania) |
Nouméa |   |
| Anglo-German Condominium of the New Hebrides Condominium
Britisch-deutsches Kondominium des Kondominiums Neue Hebriden (The only colony of its kind, the Condominium of New Hebrides was jointly administered by France and Britain prior to the Weltkrieg, but the French part was ceded to Germany following the Treaty of Versailles. After the British Revolution Germany established a "temporary" Condominium over the British Administration as well, which means that the New Hebrides are ruled by a joint administration of the German Empire on one side and Anglo-German Condominium on the other. Having already earned the title of "the Pandemonium of New Hebrides" during its Franco-British time and with things only getting worse from there, the administrative nightmare of New Hebrides is often considered to be the pinnacle of modern bureaucracy.) |
Port Vila | Flag of the Imperial Colonial Office for the German New Hebrides; Used as flag of German institutions on New Hebrides and since 1925 also always flown alongside British colonial flag   Flag of the British New Hebrides |
British Western Pacific
These islands were occupied in 1925 during the chaos of the British Revolution.
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