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In ancient times, maritime nations such as Greece often established colonies. These appear to be more benign, emphasizing uninhabited land, and farming it. In classical times, land suitable for farming was often claimed by "barbarian tribes" that lived by hunting and gathering. To ancient civilized people, the land simply appeared vacant.

Another great colonization of ancient times was the Roman colonization of the empire that spread across three continents. Many of the current great cities of Europe were Roman colonies. Indeed, the German city Köln (better known in its French form Cologne) was originally called Colonia Claudia by the Romans.

Following the European "discovery" of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the major European powers embarked on a large-scale campaign of colonization, the consequences of which have shaped the current state of the world to a considerable extent (see European colonization of the Americas and Scramble for Africa).

In science fiction, space colonization is sometimes more benign. Humans find an uninhabited planet, and inhabit it. In more recent science fiction, they may create inhabitable space (by terraforming or constructing a space habitat) and call that a "colony." On the other hand, if the planet is already inhabited, much less benign consequences ensue: indeed, some science fiction authors have used the colonization of alien planets by humans, or the colonization of Earth by aliens, to explore the real-world issues surrounding the phenomenon.

A concept associated with space colonization is ocean colonization, the hypothetical permanent habitation of locations in Earth's oceanOcean covers almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth. This global, interconnected body of salt water is divided by the continents and larger archipelagos into five oceans as follows: Arctic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean Ss.

More metaphorical uses of the word include "coca-colonization", that is, the erosion of a country's indigenous culture and its replacement with corporate mass-culture, usually American in origin (see cultural imperialismCultural imperialism is the practice of promoting the culture or language of one nation in another. It is usually the case that the former is a large, economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter is a smaller, less affluent one. Cultural impe).

See also:

• New ImperialismThe term New Imperialism refers to the policy and ideology of imperial colonial expansion adopted by Europe's powers and later the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; approximately from the Franco-Prussian War to World War I (c.,
• Colonization of AfricaAncient Colonization North Africa in particular experienced colonization from Europe and Asia Minor in the early historical period. The city of Carthage was established in what is now Tunisia by Phoenician colonists, becoming a major power in the Mediterr
• ColonialismColonialism is a system in which a state claims sovereignty over territory and people outside its own boundaries, often to facilitate economic domination over their resources, labor, and often markets. The term also refers to a set of beliefs used to legi
• NeocolonialismNeocolonialism is a term used by Marxist as well as non-Marxist groups and individuals to describe the operations of capitalism at the international level during the era when colonial empires, created by the European powers in the 18th and 19th centuries,
• Colonization game