The United Islands of Georgeland, also known as the United Islands, UIG or usually simply Georgeland, is an archipelago located in the southern Indian Ocean. The six islands of the group form an independent sovereign republic. Discovered by Spanish explorer Juan Delmago in 1760, Georgeland was first settled by European settlers in 1781, when the British established their first colony. Georgeland became an independent nation in 1891, though it remained part of the British Empire until 1929, when it became the first part of the Empire to peacefully secede. Georgeland remains a member of the Commonwealth.