All remaining responsibilities are retained by the six States (previously separate colonies).

Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934.

Before this Australia was made up of separate British colonies.

The states started as separate British colonies before Federation (in 1901).

Federation was intended to address problems caused by having separate colonies on the one island continent.

Officially, these two provinces did not become separate colonies until 1729.

Why cannot our separate colonies make a little World Union of their own?

The whole group came under French protection after 1841 and were separate colonies during 1891-1914.

Thus the separate colonies on the continent were to be united under one federal government.

In 1901, Australia became a single country, instead of six separate colonies.