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In the case of Crown Colonies which are self-governing, Britain retains official control of foreign affairs, defence and some trade matters. Britain is represented in self-governing Crown Colonies by a Governor, who exercises some degree of control over affairs of state. The Governor appoints a cabinet with executive power from the majority party in the legislature, which is led by a Chief Minister or Premier. Usually the title Premier is reserved for colonies with de facto responsible government; few or no colonies have de jure responsible government.
By 2004, the only self-governing Crown Colonies under the above definition are: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin IslandsThe British Virgin Islands are a group of islands located in the northeast Carribean. They include Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, Peter Island, Salt Island, Beef Island, Cooper Island, Ginger Island, Norman Island, and many other small isl, MontserratMontserrat is an island in the Caribbean Sea, named after the mountain of the same name (located near Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain see Montserrat (mountain by Christopher Columbus in 1493. Montserrat is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. Much of, GibraltarGibraltar is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is located in southwestern Europe adjoining the southern coast of Spain, a strategic location on the Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. History Main a, and Turks and Caicos IslandsThe Turks and Caicos Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, southeast of the Bahamas, at 21°45'N, 71°35'W. The thirty islands total 166 sq. 430 kmē), primarily of low, flat li.
The term "self-governing colony" has sometimes been used in relation to the direct rule of a Crown Colony by an executive governor , elected under a limited franchise, such as in MassachusettsMassachusetts is a state of the United States of America, part of the New England region. postal abbreviation is MA and its traditional abbreviation is Mass . It is properly called the Commonwealth of Massachusetts although there is no legal distinction b between 1630Events February 22 Native American Quadequine introduces Popcorn to English colonists June 6 Swedish warships depart from Stockholm to Germany June 26 Swedish troops begin to land in Pomerania to aid Protestants July 6 Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolph and 1684Events France under Louis XIV makes Truce of Ratisbon separately with the Empire and Spain. Pope Innocent XI forms a Holy League with the Habsburg Empire, Venice and Poland to liberate Europe from the Ottoman Turkish rule. Japanese Chief Minister Hotta Ma.
However, in the strictest sense of the term, the first modern self-governing colony is generally considered to have been the Province of CanadaNote: for information about Canada's present-day provinces, see Provinces of Canada. The Province of Canada was a British colony in North America, created by the fusion of the Canadas into one province by the Act of Union (1840). The former Lower Canada b, from 1841 (with responsible government from 1848, and national government in 1867). However, the term "self-governing colony" is not widely used by Canadian experts. The term is widely used in relation to the political arrangements in the seven British settler colonies of Australasia between 1852 and 1907.
In the Dominions, prior to the Statute of Westminster in 1931, a Governor General was the de facto representative of the British government. After that time the Dominions were largely free to act in matters of defence and foreign affairs, if they so chose and "Dominion" gradually acquired a new meaning: a state which was independent of Britain, but which shared the British monarch as the official head of state. The term dominion has largely fallen out of use and been replaced with the term commonwealth realm.