The empire on which the sun never sets The phrase " the empire on which the sun never sets " (Spanish: el imperio donde nunca se pone el sol) has been used to describe some empires that were so territorially extensive that it seemed as though it was always daytime in at least one part of their territories. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the concept was used to describe the British Empire ...
The expression ‘the empire on which the sun never sets’ was quite accurately applied to the British Empire of the 18th and 19th centuries. Maps of the empire, which typically showed British colonies in red, show that, whatever the time of day it was, it was daytime somewhere red.
The saying “The Empire on which the sun never sets” has been used to explain the vastness of the British Empire. Between the 18th and 20th century, the British Empire acquired more territories making it the largest empire in history. The Empire had establishments in Africa, Asia, Europe, America, and numerous Islands across the globe.
The saying "The sun never sets on the British Empire" means that the British Empire was once so expansive that there was always some part of it that was sunny. Though the same thing had been said of many previous empires, it was perhaps most true for the British Empire. At its greatest extent, this empire had extensive holdings in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
What Does the Saying "The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire" Mean?
Is the quote the sun never sets on the British Empire true? A colloquial saying, “the sun never sets on the British Empire,” rang true for arguably more than two centuries, a span over which Britain colonized or established rule over dozens of nations across the Americas, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australasia.