British West Africa

British West African Settlements
1821–1850 1866–1888
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Anthem: God Save the King (1821–1837) God Save the Queen (1837–1850; 1866–1888)
Location of British West Africa. From left to right: The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast and Nigeria.
Status	Crown colony
Capital	Freetown
Common languages	English (official)
Government	Crown colony
Monarch
• 1821–1830	George IV (first)
• 1837–1850; 1866–1888	Victoria (last)
Historical era	Abolitionism New Imperialism
• Established	17 October 1821
• Disestablishment	13 January 1850
• Second establishment	19 February 1866
• Final disestablishment	28 November 1888
Currency	Pound sterling British West African pound
Succeeded by Gambia Colony and Protectorate Gold Coast (British colony) Oil Rivers Protectorate Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate
Today part of	The Gambia  Ghana  Nigeria  Sierra Leone  Cameroon

British West Africa was the collective name for British settlements in West Africa during the colonial period, either in the general geographical sense or the formal colonial administrative entity. British West Africa as a colonial entity was originally officially known as Colony of Sierra Leone and its Dependencies, then British West African Territories and finally British West African Settlements.^[1]

The United Kingdom held varying parts of these territories or the whole throughout the 19th century. From west to east, the colonies became the independent countries of The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria. Until independence, Ghana was referred to as the Gold Coast.