Colony

A colony is a group of organisms or people living together in a defined area and linked by common origin or purpose. The term has distinct meanings in biology, anthropology and history.

Human colonies are settlements established by a country in a new territory and governed from afar. Historically, colonies served economic, strategic, and political aims and were accompanied by systems of administration, exploitation, and cultural encounter. The relationship between colonizers and indigenous populations was often marked by conflict and coercive practices, though it also facilitated exchange of ideas and technologies.

In microbiology, a colony is a visible mass of microorganisms that arises from a single ancestral cell or a small group of cells growing on solid media. Colony morphology—shape, color, edge, texture—helps identify species and assess purity. Researchers quantify colonies using colony-forming units (CFU).

In ecology and animal behavior, many social species form colonies, such as ants, bees, wasps, and termites. A colony often has a division of labor, with queens or reproductive individuals and nonreproductive workers, and functions as a superorganism.

In modern usage, colony can describe a planned community or a territorial possession governed from a distance. The concept of space colonization refers to the long-term establishment of human settlements beyond Earth.