<P> The phrase "the empire on which the sun never sets" has been used with variations to describe certain global empires that were so extensive that there was always at least one part of their territory that was in daylight . </P> <P> It was originally used for the Spanish Empire, mainly in the 16th and 17th centuries . In more recent times, it was used for the British Empire, mainly in the 19th and early 20th centuries . During this period, the British Empire reached a territorial size larger than that of any other empire in history . </P> <P> Georg Büchmann traces the idea to a speech in Herodotus' Histories, made by Xerxes I before invading Greece . </P>

Empire on which the sun never sets country