Final answer:
False. Colonialism is when a country establishes control over a separate territory, both near and far, and exploits it for economic gain. The statement in the question is false because colonialism does not require the colony to be a neighboring territory. European colonialism involved extensive exploitation, forced labor, and the spread of diseases.
Step-by-step explanation:
Colonialism is falsely described as when a country takes over neighboring territories and takes control of its government. Rather, colonialism is a system where a country establishes control over a separate territory, far or near, and usually involves the ruling nation economically exploiting the colony for its own benefit. This includes controlling trade and resources and often imposing new political and social structures.
European colonialism, stretching from 1492 to the present, typically involved the exploitation of a country for both physical control and economic gain. This period was marked by the violent subjugation of local populations, the extraction of raw materials, forced labor, and the introduction of European diseases and social systems, including Christianity, which often denigrated local cultures.
An essential aspect of European colonialism was the concept of mercantilism, which drove governments to control trade and amass wealth, frequently at the expense of the colonized areas. These regions provided raw materials and markets for manufactured goods from their colonial rulers, creating a cycle of economic dependency. However, contemporary forms like corporate colonialism may exploit a country economically without necessarily taking physical control.