Although maps may lie motionless on the page, the boundaries they show are always changing. Throughout the 1800's, map boundaries have changed quite a bit. Colonialism, the rule of a group of people by a foreign power, has been the driving force for much of this change for centuries. The countries of Europe, especially France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, have spent the 1800's either setting up colonies or losing control of ones held previously. Each time such a change occurs, maps must be revised to reflect the new conditions. To show you how colonialism has carved up the world in just the past 100 years, I have created two special maps -- one showing the world in the early 1800's and one showing the world in the late 1800's. Select the items on the left to see the dramatic changes colonialism has wrought upon the face of the world map during this century.