The 13 Colonies

flag of the 13 colonies


The 13 Colonies are the colonies of the British Empire in North America that gave birth to the United States of America in 1776.

Location of the 13 colonies on a map

location of the 13 colonies on the world map


They are located on the east coast of North America.

Map of the 13 colonies that are located between the Atlantic and the Appalachians

They are located between Nova Scotia and Florida, and between the Atlantic and the Appalachians.

Key facts

Government

Government typeColonial constitutional monarchy (British Empire)
CapitalLondon, England

Monarch

1607 – 1625James I
1625 – 1649Charles I
1649 – 1653English Council of State
1653 – 1658Oliver Cromwel
1658 – 1659Richard Cromwel
1659 – 1660English Council of State
1660 – 1685Charles II
1685 -1688James II
1689 – 1702William III & Mary II (die in 1694)
1702 – 1714Anne
1714 – 1727George I
1727 – 1760George II
1760 – 1776George III

Timeline

1607Foundation of Jamestown and the first colony: Virginia
1620Foundation of Plymouth and the Massachusetts
1630Foundation of Boston (became quickly the intellectual center of New-England)
1664New Amsterdam became English and changed name to New York and with it the colony of the same name.
1681Foundation of Philadelphia and the colony of Pennsylvania
1732Foundation of the 13th colony (Georgia)
1754Benjamin Franklin proposes the union of the colonies
1768Creation of the Secretary of State for the Colonies
1760 / 1770English Parliament imposes new taxes on American settlers
19 avril 1775Start of the American Revolutionary War
4 July 1776United States Declaration of Independence
3 September 1783Treaty of Paris (recognition of the United States of America by England)

People

Population 2 100 000 (1770)
Density of population3/km2
(7/sq mi)
Official languagesEnglish
ReligionProtestantism, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Native American religions

Geography

Area692 000 km2
( 267 000 sq mi)

The thirteen colonies map

map of the 13 colonies

List of the 13 colonies


Established between 1607 and 1732, united in 1775, they signed the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 and separated from Great Britain. This caused the American War of Independence which resulted in the independence of the United States.

ColonyEstablishment
Virginia1607
Massachusetts1620
New Hampshire1623
Maryland1632
Connecticut1635
Rhode Island1636
North Carolina1653
South Carolina1663
Delaware1664
New Jersey1664
New York1664
Pennsylvania1681
Georgia1732

Also in History