Between the years 1607 and 1783, the region known as British America was made up of the colonial territories that belonged to the English Empire in the Americas. The English Empire evolved into the British Empire in 1707, when the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland merged to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. Before the union, this region was known as English America, with the exception of Scotland's abortive efforts to create its own colonies elsewhere in the Americas. Before the Thirteen Colonies declared their independence in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) and formed the United States of America, these colonies were formally known as British America and the British West Indies. This was after the union, which occurred shortly after the formation of these colonies.
Following the conclusion of the American Revolution, the lands and territories that remained under British control were referred to collectively as "British North America." The word "British North America" was first used in 1783, although it did not become widely used until after the publication of the Report on the Affairs of British North America in 1839, which is more usually referred to as the Durham Report.