Overseas Germany - The German Colonies in Word and Image. Illustrated with over 200 black and white images and plates. The German colonies and protectorates were acquired by the German Empire at the end of the 19th century and were relinquished after World War I in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The so-called "German protectorates" were, in 1914, the fourth largest colonial empire by area, following the British, French, and Russian empires. The colonies included, among others, German South West Africa, German West Africa, German East Africa, the German Somali Coast, German New Guinea, and the German Samoa Islands. According to Article 1 of the Constitution of the German Empire, they were not part of the imperial territory but rather overseas possessions of the German Empire. Since 1899, all "protectorates," with the exception of the Marshall Islands (which were also included as colonies since 1906), were classified as colonies.