A colony is a political and administrative unit that is under the political control of another, usually geographically distant, entity. The controlling entity has been called several names over time, including colonizer, empire, motherland, and protector. As well, control has been exercised in differing ways, falling into two general patterns: direct rule and indirect rule.

Under direct rule, colonies were commonly divided into districts administered by imperial appointees. For example, in French West Africa—which in the twentieth century included Guinea, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Gabon, and Mauritania—the head district administrator, called the commandant de cercle, was in charge of regional tax collection, public works, justice, education, military recruitment, labor relations, and the execution of mandates from the colonial governor. In contrast, indirect rule, which was practiced extensively by the British, exercised control through the traditional authority systems...