The British Raj, or British India, was the period of British rule on the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947. The region under British control included parts of what are today India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, and Sri Lanka.

During the British Raj, the British government exercised control over the lives of the people living in the region, dictating everything from the type of clothes they were allowed to wear to the religion they were allowed to practice. The British also exerted a great deal of control over the economy, with many businesses being owned by British citizens or companies.

The British Raj was divided into three parts: the Presidency of Bengal, the Presidency of Madras, and the Presidency of Bombay. The princely states were divided into two categories: those under direct British rule, known as the protected states, and those that were nominally independent but under British suzerainty, known as the princely states.

The protected states were those in which the British had direct control over the administration, while the princely states were nominally independent but under the ultimate authority of the British Crown.

The protected states were British India proper, that is, the territories directly administered by the British, and the princely states. The princely states were those in which the local rulers were allowed to retain their autonomy in exchange for acknowledging British suzerainty.

The princely states were further subdivided into two categories: those in which the rulers were Hindu, and those in which the rulers were Muslim. The Hindu princely states were, in theory, under the authority of the President of the Board of Control, while the Muslim princely states were under the authority of the Viceroy of India.

When we think of British India, our minds usually jump to the subcontinent that is now India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. But British India actually included a much larger area than that. At its peak, British India included present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Bhutan, and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Iran, Iraq, and Tibet. 

So, what countries were not a part of British India? 

The short answer is all of the countries that are now in the Middle East, as well as Iran, Iraq, and Tibet. The Middle East was never formally a part of British India, although the British did have a strong presence in the region through their control of the Persian Gulf States and their protectorate over Egypt. Iran, Iraq, and Tibet were also never formally a part of British India, although the British did have a significant presence in Tibet through their control of the Tibetan trade routes.