Doug Kozinka, age 14, of Dover, Del., for his question:

WHAT IS COLONIALISM?

"Colonialism" usually refers to the rule of a group of people by a foreign power. The people and their land make up a colony.

Many colonies are separated from their ruling nation by an ocean. Often, the foreign power sends representatives to live in the colony, to govern it and to use it as a source of wealth for the controlling nation.

Nations have sought colonies chiefly to gain economic benefits. They have wanted to expand their industries and trade by gaining new sources of raw materials, new markets for the goods, sources of goods that could be exported to other countries and also opportunities for investment.

The greatest example of ancient colonialism was found in the Roman Empire. Starting about 264 B.C., Rome began an overseas expansion. At its height, the empire extended all the way from northern Britain to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The empire remained a powerful and world dominating nation until it collapsed in A.D. 476.

Modern European colonialism extended from 1415 to World War II. In the first part, led by Spain and Portugal, expansion went to the East Indies and the Americas. In the second phase, which started about 1800, Great Britain expanded into Asia, Africa and the Pacific.

European colonization of the Americas was part of this expansion time. There was a quest for new land and for freedom from religious persecution.

Colonialism has had good and bad effects on colonies and ruling nations. While it brought wealth and power to the ruling nations, it also led to nationalist feelings and resistance movements among the colonists.

The Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Portugal, Spain and several other nations still have a few colonies. Britain calls its colonies "dependencies."

The United States today governs a number of overseas areas, but they are not called colonies.