# How many countries has England/Great Britain/United Kingdom NOT invaded **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588 "2012-11-10T17:12:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/1 "2012-11-10T17:12:31Z")
As per an interesting discussion I had over dinner, the UK has in its time invaded most of the nations on Earth at one time or the other. Are there any it has not? I can think of Mexico and perhaps Chile and the DR Congo. For this thread Invaded= Attacked, bombed, sent in an army, blockaded. Clandestine special ops do not count. Country" nation state that exists today and territory controlled by them, excepting overseas colonies. UK= The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and its predecessors’ as well as the British Empire including self governing dominions pre-1931. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/2 "2012-11-10T17:25:13Z")
Interesting question. Do you count ancient tribes that eventually contributed to the UK? For example, do Irish pirate attacks against Norse settlements in Iceland count as a UK predecessor invasion? Speaking of Spanish colonies (you mentioned Mexico), I believe that the UK tried at least twice to take over Puerto Rico and was defeated both times. At least once they managed to take El Morro but died of disease shortly afterward. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/3 "2012-11-10T17:30:01Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > For example, do Irish pirate attacks against Norse settlements in Iceland count as a UK predecessor invasion? In this particular case it’s immaterial, because the UK invaded Iceland in WW2. I had to Wiki it to see if it was by invitation or not, but it wasn’t: it was against Iceland’s stated neutrality, even though it was bloodless. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/4 "2012-11-10T17:39:32Z")
There is a list of the “lucky” 22 [here](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9653497/British-have-invaded-nine-out-of-ten-countries-so-look-out-Luxembourg.html). > [@](#): > > The countries never invaded by the British: > Andorra > Belarus > Bolivia > Burundi > Central African Republic > Chad > Congo, Republic of > Guatemala > Ivory Coast > Kyrgyzstan > Liechtenstein > Luxembourg > Mali > Marshall Islands > Monaco > Mongolia > Paraguay > Sao Tome and Principe > Sweden > Tajikistan > Uzbekistan > Vatican City For a supposedly peace-loving nation, that’s a soberingly short list. Of your examples, Mexico and Chile were raided when they were part of the Spanish empire. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/5 "2012-11-10T18:34:45Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > There is a list of the “lucky” 22 [here](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9653497/British-have-invaded-nine-out-of-ten-countries-so-look-out-Luxembourg.html). I would disagree with the inclusion of Guatemala. That’s only true on the technicality that the part that was invaded/colonized became British Honduras, now Belize. Until a few decades ago Guatemala still showed Belize as part of its territory on its official maps. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/6 "2012-11-10T19:12:51Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > There is a list of the “lucky” 22 [here](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9653497/British-have-invaded-nine-out-of-ten-countries-so-look-out-Luxembourg.html). > > For a supposedly peace-loving nation, that’s a soberingly short list. > > Of your examples, Mexico and Chile were raided when they were part of the Spanish empire. I love the Dope. However, of the list, Sweden certainly had British operations off it waters during the Napoleonic wars as well as coastal bombardment. The Ivory Coast, well the British had outposts there and when the British invaded China, Mongolia was technically part of it. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/7 "2012-11-10T21:57:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Invaded= Attacked, bombed, sent in an army, blockaded That’s a questionable definition of “invade”. To me the word implies military incursion with the intent of taking over a substantial part of the territory. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/8 "2012-11-10T22:58:35Z")
That seems to be somewhat too narrow of a definition: The US invaded Normandy in WWII, for instance, even though we had no intention of “taking over” any of Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/9 "2012-11-10T23:03:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That seems to be somewhat too narrow of a definition: The US invaded Normandy in WWII, for instance, even though we had no intention of “taking over” any of Europe. I would say that the allied forces did indeed intend to take control of substantial parts of Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/10 "2012-11-10T23:09:45Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > I would say that the allied forces did indeed intend to take control of substantial parts of Europe. But only temporarily, and as a collective force. Essentially, I’d class it as anywhere where the British forces have been present through force rather than consent of the occupying/host nation. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/11 "2012-11-10T23:20:07Z")
> [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > But only temporarily, and as a collective force. Essentially, I’d class it as anywhere where the British forces have been present through force rather than consent of the occupying/host nation. So any skirmish between two neighbouring territories, in which forces cross the border, is an invasion? ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/12 "2012-11-10T23:22:00Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > So any skirmish between two neighbouring territories, in which forces cross the border, is an invasion? Pretty much, yeah. There’s invasion for conquest and other kinds of invasion, such as raids or simply to force the enemy to submit to your will. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/13 "2012-11-10T23:40:04Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > There is a list of the “lucky” 22 > > Of your examples, Mexico and Chile were raided when they were part of the Spanish empire. The British also sent troops into Mexico to support the French intervention in 1861 that put Maximillian on the throne. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/14 "2012-11-11T00:09:30Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > There is a list of the “lucky” 22 [here](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9653497/British-have-invaded-nine-out-of-ten-countries-so-look-out-Luxembourg.html). The qualifications for the list seem questionable to me. > [@](#): > > Only a comparatively small proportion of the total in Mr Laycock’s list of invaded states actually formed an official part of the empire. > > The remainder have been included because the British were found to have achieved some sort of military presence in the territory – however transitory – either through force, the threat of force, negotiation or payment. > > Incursions by British pirates, privateers or armed explorers have also been included, provided they were operating with the approval of their government. So if the British rented a naval base from you, or sent a few pith-helmeted guys with rifles traipsing through your jungle, they “invaded” you? ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/15 "2012-11-11T00:28:00Z")
It would seem that given the loose definition of “invaded,” Luxembourg only made the list by getting liberated by American troops in both world wars. ---
**Author:** ![Huvudtvatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Huvudtvatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huvudtvatt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/16 "2012-11-11T13:27:22Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Sweden certainly had British operations off it waters during the Napoleonic wars as well as coastal bombardment When was this? The only thing I could find was that the British sailed close to the Swedish coast in 1801 to avoid bombardment from the Danish. Hardly an invasion. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/17 "2012-11-11T14:08:18Z")
What about Finland? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/18 "2012-11-11T14:22:34Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > So if the British rented a naval base from you, or sent a few pith-helmeted guys with rifles traipsing through your jungle, they “invaded” you? Yes, the definition is absurd. Numerous questions. For example Korea. Britain “invaded” it by sending troops supporting the UN lead Korean war in support of South Korea. Humm. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/19 "2012-11-11T14:45:33Z")
I’m wanting to know about how the British invaded every country in South America except Paraguay and Bolivia. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588/20 "2012-11-11T15:08:18Z")
Try Admiral Cochrane, he would responsible for some of it > **[Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cochrane,_10th_Earl_of_Dundonald)** > > Chilean War of Independence > Peruvian War of Independence > Brazilian War of Independence [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-countries-has-england-great-britain-united-kingdom-not-invaded/640588.md?page=2)