TheProvinces of India, earlierPresidencies of Indiaand still earlier,Presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in the subcontinent. Collectively, they were calledBritish India. In one form or another, they existed between 1612 and 1947, conventionally divided into three historical periods:

Between 1612 and 1757 theEast India Companyset up"factories" (trading posts)in several locations, mostly in coastal India, with the consent of theMughal emperorsor local rulers. Its rivals were the merchant trading companies of Portugal, Denmark, Holland and France. By the mid-18th century three "Presidency towns":Madras,BombayandCalcutta, had grown in size.

During the period ofCompany rule in India, 1757–1858, the Company gradually acquired sovereignty over large parts of India, now called "Presidencies". However, it also increasingly came under British government oversight, in effect sharing sovereignty with the Crown. At the same time it gradually lost its mercantile privileges.

Following theIndian Rebellion of 1857the Company's remaining powers were transferred to the Crown. In the newBritish Raj(1858–1947), sovereignty extended to a few new regions, such asUpper Burma.