Cook's dozen - the 13 remaining colonies

A view of St Helena, which is attempting to increase tourism

It's a far cry from the days when more than a third of the atlas was pink.

But the remaining islands which are still dependent on Britain are anxious for the government in London not to forget them.

Although some will be unknown to most British people, some - such as the Falklands or Montserrat - have had their fair share of headlines.

• Anguilla
  Location Eastern Caribbean
  Population 10,000
  Tourism and banking are two of the major contributors to the island's economy. The British army intervened on the island in 1969 when there was violent opposition to being administered from St Kitts. It was formally separated in 1980.

• Bermuda
  Location Western Atlantic
  Population 60,000
  
  

  Since Hong Kong was handed back to China, the question of citizenship for Dependent Territory residents has resurfaced
  
  Bermuda is Britain's oldest colony, dating from 1609, and its residents are content to remain a dependent territory, as a referendum in 1995 showed. Its main trade is in insurance and investment, but fishing is also important.

• British Antarctic Territory
  Population None (except research scientists)
  A whaling station existed on South Shetland Island, part of what now constitutes the BAT. But now the population is about 70 scientists at the British Antarctic Survey Station, which was established in 1943. The territory has a total area of 1,709,400 square kilometres.

• British Indian Ocean Territory
  Population
  None indigenous, but about 3,000 military and civilians
  Access to these islands is limited to the British and American military and civilian contractors working there to provide support for the UK and US navies.

• British Virgin Islands
  Location Caribbean
  Population 19,300
  Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493. Tourism is now the most important factor in the economy.

• Cayman Islands
  Location Caribbean
  Population 33,600
  Having been a dependency of Britain and then Jamaica, the Caymans reverted to being under the British in 1962. It is the fifth largest banking centre in the world.

• Falkland Islands
  Location South Atlantic
  Population 2,200
  The Falkland Islanders were given full British citizenship after the conflict between Britain and Argentina. Islanders have made it clear on several occasions that they want to stay British.

• Gibraltar
  Location Off south west Spain
  Population31,000
  
  

  A sight of Gibraltar, whose residents are EC citizens
  
  Having been governed by at least eight different rulers, the Spanish ceded Gibraltar to the British in 1713. The British have said it will stand by Gibraltarians' right to defend who should rule them. As EC citizens, many are also British citizens.

• Montserrat
  Location Eastern Caribbean
  Population 12,000
  
  

  The Soufriere Volcano in Montserrat, erupting last summer
  
  The population is thought to have fallen since two-thirds of the island was made uninhabitable by a volcano last year. It too was discovered by Columbus, but was first ruled from Britain in 1632.

• Pitcairn Islands
  Location Pacific Ocean, between Panama and New Zealand
  Population 58
  One of the most remote parts of what is left of the Empire, it is best known for being a home to Fletcher Christian and nine of the mutineers from the 'Bounty'. It is now Britain's last dependent territory in the Pacific. Islanders speak a mixture of English and Tahitian - 18 Tahitians accompanied Christian when he landed in 1790.

• St Helena
  Location South Atlantic
  Population 6,000
  St Helena is the only one of Britain's dependent territories which currently receives aid. The Foreign Office estimates the aid amounts to £3.2 million, although the island's government is trying to increase inward investment and tourism. Its dependencies include Tristan de Cunha, thought to be the world's most remote inhabited island, which has a population of 300, and Ascension Island which has no indigenous population but is used as a relay station for the RAF, the USAAF, Cable and Wireless and the BBC.

• South Georgia
  Location South Atlantic
  With just a military and a scientific base, these islands were administratively part of the Falklands until 1985 when they were converted into a separate territory. Like the Falklands they were occupied by Argentine troops in 1982.

• Turks and Caicos Islands
  Location South-east of the Bahamas
  Population 13,000
  Consisting of more than 30 islands, they were a dependency of Jamaica from 1874 until 1959, but then became a separate British dependency.