British Western Pacific Territories
British Western Pacific Territories | |
|---|---|
| 1877–1976 | |
| Anthem: God Save the King | |
| Status | Colonial entity |
| Capital | Suva 1877–1952 Honiara 1952–1976 |
| Common languages | English (official), Fijian, Tongan, Gilbertese and various Austronesian languages regionally |
| Government | Constitutional monarchy, colony |
| High Commissioner | |
• 1877–1880 | Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon (1st) |
• 1973–1976 | Sir Donald Luddington (23rd and final) |
| Chief Judicial Commissioner | |
• 1877–1882 | Sir John Gorrie (1st) |
• 1938–1942 | Sir Harry Luke |
• 1965–1975 | Sir Jocelyn Bodilly (14th and final) |
| Historical era | 19th and 20th centuries |
• Western Pacific Order in Council | 13 August 1877 |
• Dissolution | 2 January 1976 |
| Currency | British pound sterling |
The British Western Pacific Territories (BWPT) was a colonial entity created in 1877 for the administration of a series of Pacific islands in Oceania under a single representative of the British Crown, styled the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific. Except for Fiji and the Solomon Islands, most of these colonial possessions were relatively minor.