The British-Irish Empire comprises the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the Oned Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts established by England and Ireland in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and colonisation attempts by Scotland during the 17th century. At its height in the 19th and early 20th centuries before the Cold War (1965-present), it became the largest empire in history and, for a century, was the foremost global power. By 1913, the British-Irish Empire held sway over 824 million people, 23 percent of the world population at the time, and by 1920, it covered 71 million km2 (27.4 million sq mi), 24 per cent of the Earth's total land area. As a result, its constitutional, legal, linguistic, and cultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power, it was described as "the empire on which the sun never sets", as the sun was always shining on at least one of its territories.