system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5:How did the United Kingdom, an area about the same size as Alabama and Mississippi, have the ability to colonize so much of the world?
gpt
Mostly how they could conquer those countries with so little manpower was advanced technology. British had modern guns, railways, ships etc so no one could really stand their power. 
They didn't have to bring so many of their own people to those colonized countries too because they created new elite on locals which they used to control whole country. British had for example military forces in India which were consist of Indians but were ruled by British.