Over its history, a new study found, Britain has invaded almost 90 percent of the world's countries. Only 22 countries escaped British invasion, according to The Telegraph. These findings are outlined in a new book, All the Countries We've Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To.
The most important reason no one can conquer Afghanistan is because any invader has to completely subdue the population. The whole population. And these people are as diverse as it gets. Pashtun, Turkmen, Baloch, Palaw, Tajik, and Uzbek are jut a few of the ethnic groups in the country.
Japan. One of the world's oldest civilizations, Japan was able to keep its culture and history relatively intact over the centuries because mainland Japan has never been invaded by an outside force.
Of the current 200 nations in the world, the British have invaded all but 22 of them. The lucky 22 include Sweden, Luxembourg, Mongolia, Bolivia, and Belarus. The full analysis is available in Stuart Laycock's book, All the Countries We've Ever Invaded.
During its history, the United Kingdom's forces (or forces with a British mandate) have invaded, had some control over or fought conflicts in 171 of the world's 193 countries that are currently UN member states, or nine out of ten of all countries.
Ethiopia Is one of the oldest countries in the world that managed to remain uncolonized by Europeans between 1880 and 1914 when European powers competed to invade and colonize the African continent.
The US War of Independence, 1775-1783
We can't talk about British military defeats without mentioning the US War of Independence. In 1775, rebels in Boston rose up against the British due to excessive taxes. One year later, an independent American congress was formed, which declared its independence from the Brits.
According to the book "All the Countries We've Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To", there are only 22 countries Britain never invaded throughout history. There aren't many gaps on the map, but some of the more notable include Sweden, Belarus and Vatican City.
Luxembourg is a member of a highly select group of countries that have never been invaded by Britain, according to author Stuart Laycock.
British victory in the Battle of Britain was decisive, but ultimately defensive in nature – in avoiding defeat, Britain secured one of its most significant victories of the Second World War.
Sweden and Switzerland are independently of each other famed for their armed neutralities, which they maintained throughout both World War I and World War II. The Swiss and the Swedes each have a long history of neutrality: they have not been in a state of war internationally since 1815 and 1814, respectively.
Firstly, it was easier for Europeans to cross the Atlantic than for Chinese to cross the Pacific. Secondly, Europeans were motivated by the desire to access China's legendary wealth whereas Chinese had no such incentive for exploration.
The United States
The star-spangled banner marks the strongest military power in the world. Despite the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan, its armed forces have an imposing presence across the world.
Geographic feasibility. Many experts have considered the US practically impossible to invade because of its major industries, reliable and fast supply lines, large geographical size, geographic location, population size, and difficult regional features.
Although British imperialism never politically took hold in mainland China, as it did in India or Africa, its cultural and political legacy is still evident today.
Invasions of the British Isles have occurred throughout history. Various sovereign states within the territorial space that constitutes the British Isles have been invaded several times, including by the Romans, by the Germanic peoples, by the Vikings, by the Normans and by the French.
A century ago a British led intervention force landed in the far north of Russia. For 18 gruelling months, thousands of foreign troops under British command fought Russians on Russian soil.
French invasion of Russia, invasion of Russia by Napoleon I's Grande Armée from October to December in 1812. The French army was forced to retreat after Russian forces refused to engage in battle with them, which resulted in the deaths of more than 400,000 French soldiers, the vast majority from cold and starvation.
In 1721, Russia and its allies won the war against Sweden. As a result, Russia was able to annex the Swedish territories of Estonia, Livonia, Ingria, and Karelia. This effectively put an end to the Swedish Empire, and crippled her Baltic Sea power.
The monarch of the UK is still the head of state of Australia and 'rules' through a governor-general. The death of Queen Elizabeth II has reignited a debate in Australia regarding whether the country should become a republic, and thus shed its colonial past.
The United States has fought five major wars — Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan — and only the Gulf War in 1991 can really be classified as a clear success.
(1428-1429) Siege of Orleans The siege of Orleans was the turning point of the Hundred Years' War. After over 80 years of warfare the French finally gained the upper hand with the decisive victory at Orleans.