The fourteen British Overseas Territories (BOT) are territories under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom. They are those parts of the former British Empire that have not chosen independence or have voted to remain British territories. Most of the inhabited territories are internally self-governing, with the UK retaining responsibility for defence and foreign relations. The rest are either uninhabited or have a transitory population of military or scientific personnel. They share the British monarch (Elizabeth II) as head of state.